Anaheim, California

If theme-park icon Walt Disney were around today, he’d be impressed by how the home of Disneyland, his first venture, has evolved. Disneyland opened in the 1950s, and Anaheim has since blossomed into a self-contained, all-around group destination, home to a first-tier convention center and a series of major meeting properties, complemented by attendee amenities (e.g., shopping, dining, entertainment). It’s all available in this compact, accessible and foot-friendly city. “There really is a purpose to our design here. It’s really a campus now,” says Charles Ahlers, president and CEO of the Anaheim/Orange County CVB.

Ahlers is enthused about what lies ahead for his campus, notably the new Grand Plaza. “It’s a splendid idea,” he says of the $20 million project, which, when completed by May of 2012, will reroute Convention Way traffic to the rear of the Anaheim Convention Center and nearby hotels, turning what’s now the area’s main thoroughfare into a park-like pedestrian mall. “There will be cultural events conducted in this common area when it’s completed,” says Ahlers, adding that “a lot of the key shows that come here regularly will also be able to hold outdoor exhibits and concerts in this space as part of their programs.”

Upgrades, renovations and expansions are buzzwords elsewhere around Anaheim these days. John Wayne Airport is in the midst of a $543 million redo that includes a new 282,000-sq.-ft. third terminal, additional parking spaces, dining concessions and extensive retail set for completion any day. Area hotels also have kept busy upgrading, with the Hyatt Regency Orange County recently wrapping up a $25 million renovation and the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa finishing its own $6 million makeover. The Wyndham Orange County in Costa Mesa is about to launch a $14 million renovation, while Great Wolf Resorts plans a 2013 opening for its new resort in Garden Grove featuring a 600-room hotel, 30,000 square feet of meeting space and an attached water park.

Portland, Oregon

While Oregon did not invent the green movement, it certainly exemplifies it. In fact, the Beaver State and its largest city (population 570,000) have long been leaders in developing a cleaner, greener lifestyle, dating back more than 40 years to then-Governor Tom McCall’s campaign to clean up the Willamette River. Those early efforts bear fruit today at Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, a 1.5-mile stretch of green along the Willamette in downtown Portland that’s a favorite for group events and city festivals.

“It’s such a green city to begin with, not only the convention center but so many of the hotels, and that’s extremely important for us,” says Michelle Horton, meetings manager for the Ecological Society of America. Horton expects close to 4,000 attendees for the organization’s 2012 meeting in August. It’s an exceptional total, she says, that’s boosted by more than just Portland’s green attitude. “It’s also a very walkable city—the blocks are short and well-marked— and with the light rail system, transportation is easy and essentially free,” she says. “The restaurants are wonderful, and you get the impression that the city is really lived in.”

For Mike Smith, vice president of convention sales at Travel Portland, what ultimately makes his city a meetings winner is its overall value. “We’ve got everything that a planner looks for when they ask the question, ‘Will my attendees be happy meeting here?’” says Smith, noting that at least 65 percent of his business is with associations. “We have no sales tax and no food or beverage taxes, and our 12.5 percent room tax is well below the median level across the country.” And at $125, the city’s average 2011 daily room rate remains a big draw among the many competitive West Coast destinations.

Outdoor enthusiasts also enjoy meeting here because of Portland’s natural assets. Besides its urban parks, greenways and area golf courses, the city is also a great jumping-off point for recreation and group day trips, lying within a few hours drive of Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon’s wine country and the Pacific Ocean.

San Francisco, California

First-time attendees can be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu here, as it’s likely due to San Francisco’s status as one of America’s venerable pop culture icons. The city’s landmarks—Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge (75 years young in 2012), Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and those cheery, ubiquitous cable cars among them—are legendary, as are its quirky neighborhoods (E.G., Haight-Ashbury, Union Square, Balboa Park, the Presidio), burned into our subconscious through films, TV shows and most memorably by the smoky intonations of Tony Bennett. Overlay this onto a first-rate hospitality system and it’s no surprise to find San Francisco ranked consistently high among planners and attendees as a favorite meeting spot.

While those inherent attendance-building factors have hooked many a delegate, planners have learned to rely on San Francisco for a hospitality infrastructure that supplies a wide range of hotel rooms (both in style and price points) and the city’s adaptable, 1.2 million-sq.-ft. Moscone Convention Center. If anything, the 30-year-old center continues to evolve along with the meeting groups that book business there. With a better meeting spot in mind, Moscone is working its way through an extensive $56 million renovation (the biggest in two decades) of its lobbies, meeting rooms, exhibit space, ballrooms and public restrooms that, when completed by late spring of 2012, should make the entire facility more environmentally friendly and sustainable in its operations.

The upgrade is also designed, per San Francisco Tourism Improvement District Chairman Dan Kelleher, to bring more of San Francisco’s delightful pop-culture persona into the actual center itself. “In its current state, Moscone Center gives meeting attendees very little sense that they are in San Francisco,” according to Kelleher. “A major part of this renovation is incorporating recognizable colors like the Golden Gate Bridge’s international orange and integrating the city’s iconic images into [Moscone’s] public spaces and meeting rooms.”

In that spirit, several city and area properties have spruced up as well, including the 489-room Oakland Marriott City Center, Sausalito’s Casa Madrona Hotel and Spa, and the boutique Hotel Diva on Geary Street. The historic Starlight Room lounge on the 21st floor of Kimpton’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel has reopened after a multimillion-dollar makeover, while the city’s newest cultural venue, the International Art Museum of America, opened its doors in October.

Tacoma, Washington

Tucked into the southern edge of scenic Puget Sound and flanked by a pair of equally picturesque national parks (Olympic to the west and Mt. Rainier heading east), Washington’s third-largest city often reminds visitors of home. That’s due in great part to Tacoma’s friendly attitude and a comfort factor that derives from being a big city with a smaller-town ambience. While getting there is easy—just 20 minutes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on the I-5 corridor—holding a meeting in Tacoma is easier still.

“We have a very walker-friendly destination,” says Shauna Lunde-Stewart, director of sales and marketing for the Tacoma Regional CVB. “The facilities are compact, you don’t need a car, and everything is right there in downtown for the attendees: great shopping, dining and museums. You check into your hotel and the convention center is right across the street.”

Cone Bridge of Glass at the Glass Museum

Indeed, the Great Tacoma Convention and Trade Center works nicely for both its central location (it’s also on the free Link Light Rail line) and green policies, using local, organic and sustainable cuisine in many of its menus. “The center’s also a really beautiful space and fairly easy to adapt to what associations want for the look and feel of their events,” says Krista Fleming, president of KF Events in Shoreline, Wash. The center is also a short stroll from downtown’s trio of cool museums—the Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum and the Museum of Glass—all of which feature creative meeting and elegant reception space. And come June of 2012, the city will officially unveil its newest cultural “vehicle,” the snazzy LeMay—America’s Car Museum, with a cafe, meeting rooms, banquet hall, 3.5-acre show field and some 500 nifty cars, trucks and motorcycles on display.

Planners also can count on Tacoma to supply plenty of recreational options. Fresh from a $30 million renovation, Cheney Stadium, home of baseball’s AAA Tacoma Rainiers, provides a lively setting for group outings, team-building and pre/post family activities. Area golf courses prove challenging and rewarding for group play, and come with the built-in backdrop of snow-capped mountains and Puget Sound. For post-meeting fun, downtown Tacoma works wells for two attendee favorites: dine-arounds and pub crawls.

Tri-Valley, California

With its quaint downtowns, county fairs and rolling hillsides, this triangular swatch of Northern California could easily be mistaken for Northern Vermont or Virginia’s horse country. Instead, the scenic, laid-back Tri-Valley area, stitched together from the Amador, San Ramon and Livermore valleys, is centrally positioned just a short drive (via I-5, 580, 680 and 880) from the cities and airports of San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland and Sacramento. Not to mention, it’s in the heart of California’s hottest new wine country.

“We have over 50 wineries here, which are a huge draw,” says Tri-Valley CVB Executive Director Grant Raeside. “A lot of them are mom and pop operations, so chances are you’ll get to meet the owners who are also the winemakers. Attendees definitely want to come here and enjoy that experience as part of their overall itinerary.”

What attendees also want is value, an area in which Raeside says the Tri-Valley compares well to its competition. “We have over 4,500 hotel rooms in the area and are certainly priced right with top-of-the-line amenities,” he says. “If your group really wants to spread out, we also have the Alameda County Fairgrounds right smack in the middle of the area.”

Many Tri-Valley hotels and restaurants are either embarking on or in the midst of renovation and expansion projects to suit the needs of their growing meetings business. The 368-room San Ramon Marriott, for example, is wrapping up a $4 million redo of all its meeting space, including the property’s junior and grand ballrooms, part of a valley-wide effort to enhance meeting and function space for incoming groups. “We have a great number of special event venues throughout the Tri-Valley area,” says Marriott General Manager Tom David. “That means groups coming here can find a unique setting for their evening functions without taking on the travel and travel expenses of areas like Napa and Sonoma.”

Planners should also pencil in outdoor activities for their Tri-Valley meetings, as attendees can take advantage of the area’s accommodating climate and enjoy such group adventures as golf, cycling, wine tasting, farmers markets and any number of year-round festivals.

Click on the images for additional spotlights.

STAY | Fairmont San Jose Hotel

EXPERIENCE | The Scripps Institute of Oceanography

MEET | Palm Springs Convention Center

Fort Lauderdale

Plan a meeting in June in Fort Lauderdale and you’ll find sunshine and beaches. Plan a meeting in January in Fort Lauderdale and you’ll still find sunshine and beaches. Weather is rarely an issue in the city, which is located on the state’s eastern seaboard on the Atlantic Ocean. The weather’s a top selling point to get attendees interested in the destination, but it’s not the only one.

Fort Lauderdale has the lowest tourism taxes of any city in the entire country, according to a 2011 Global Business Travel Association Foundation study. Sales taxes and travel-related taxes for items such as car rentals and hotels are considerably lower than many other meetings cities. “The rising cost of business travel, and especially meetings and events, is an area of deep concern when developing travel plans,” said Joe Bates, the foundation’s director of research, when the study came out. “If you are a travel manager planning a meeting, this is important information to take into consideration.”

In total, Fort Lauderdale has more than 33,000 guest rooms throughout the expanded metro area. More than 10,000 rooms are in close proximity (we’re talking within minutes) of the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. Also near the airport is the 600,000-sq.-ft. Broward County Convention Center. The three-floor facility has exhibit space on the bottom floor, meeting rooms on the second floor and ballrooms on the top floor.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau created the Lauderdale Convention Collection, a cluster of six hotels near the convention center with meeting and accommodation space for groups. The hotels—an Embassy Suites, Hilton, Hyatt Regency, Marriott, Renaissance and Sheraton—have more than 2,700 guest rooms combined. No hotel is more than 1.5 miles to the convention center. Planners who book rooms at any of the six collection hotels receive free meeting and event space at the convention center, a one-hour welcome reception at the center, a board of directors reception, marketing assistance, and a 10 percent discount on convention services such as F&B, staffing, Internet or audiovisual.

Other large meetings properties include The Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood with 1,060 rooms (the largest in the city) and more than 217,000 square feet of space, W Fort Lauderdale with 517 rooms and 12,000 square feet of space, and Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center and Spa with 501 rooms and 50,000 square feet for meetings. Not all meetings have to take place at a hotel, however. Consider the Broward Center for the Performing Arts with river and downtown skyline views for an event, or plan an off-site reception at the Bonnet House, a 35-acre estate with a historic home and museum near the beach.

Planners who organize sports events also find Fort Lauderdale to be a smart choice (golf and fishing events are popular). The area hosts more than 300 indoor and outdoor sports events annually. The Ansin Sports Complex is a 5,000-seat all-purpose stadium in Miramar, south of Fort Lauderdale, that can host various sports events. The BankAtlantic Center is an 872,000-sq.-ft. facility that serves as home base for NHL’s Florida Panthers, but it also can be set up for soccer, basketball and other sporting events.

Kissimmee

Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center

Once known mostly for its proximity to Orlando, Kissimmee is a full-fledged meetings destination in its own right. For one thing, the central Florida city is home to the largest in-hotel exhibition facility in the state at Gaylord Palms and a Four-Diamond experience at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. Already the region’s largest meetings properties, both resorts are expanding as a result of an agreement that was signed before the recession between Osceola County, Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, and Rida Associates, property owners of the development that is home to Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.

The Gaylord recently completed renovation of its 1,400 guest rooms, and has concrete plans for 2012. One of two new pools slated for a spring opening at the resort is a DreamWorks-themed experience with waterslides, a multi-level water playground, an active lagoon, a plunge pool, “dive-in” movies and other adventures. Wreckers Sports Bar and a 10,000-sq.-ft. outdoor event space are also in the works for this year.

In line with the Gaylord brand, the Palms puts a high priority on meetings placing everything a planner needs under one roof. Its 400,000 square feet of convention space includes 178,500 square feet of exhibition. A signature Gaylord atrium is at the heart of it all, and a Florida theme is carried throughout. Multiple dining options keep attendees close, and planners can gather the team for bocce, volleyball, golf or pool games between sessions. News on a meeting space expansion at the resort is expected late January.

Construction begins on Omni renovations this month. The meeting space expansion is scheduled for a January 2013 completion, adding more than 46,000 square feet. A 28,800-sq.-ft. ballroom, eight meeting rooms and an open pre-function area are part of the plans, as are an event lawn and advanced communications and computer technology. Athletic fields also are in the works at ChampionsGate. The sports complex could draw as many as 250,000 visitors a year, and has a projected completion date of 2013.

Sports planners don’t need to wait until 2013 for athletic facilities in Kissimmee though. Osceola Heritage Park has Silver Spurs Arena, an exhibition building, and multipurpose and livestock pavilions. The arena seats up to 11,800, has 12 luxury boxes and four team locker rooms. Also on the campus, a 47,850-sq.-ft. exhibition building has hosted the USA Domino Federation Open, the Sunshine State Games Cheerleading and Dance Championships, and multiple wrestling and volleyball competitions.

The city doesn’t rely on Orlando to draw meeting attendance, but its proximity to the entertainment center is an advantage. An excursion to Disney World, SeaWorld or Universal Studios is commonplace for attendees, especially if the family comes along. But the Mouse isn’t the only show in town. Kissimmee attractions worth a visit include Gator Land with its thousands of alligators, crocodiles and wildlife; Old Town amusement park; and the Kissimmee Air Museum where visitors can fly a WWII airplane.

Naples

When attendees head to South Florida, they expect a few things: sun, white-sand beaches and relaxation. Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades promise to meet those expectations; the region’s moniker is Paradise Coast after all. From high-end Naples to the natural marshes and inland waterways of the nearby Everglades, the region takes full advantage of its gorgeous weather and scenery. Most of the locals came for a visit and never left.

That love for their adopted hometown translates to top-notch customer service. Five resorts landed on Conde Nast Traveler’s Best in the World list in 2011. With two Ritz-Carltons, a Waldorf Astoria Resort and many of the top flags represented, the region gives meeting planners plenty of options.

Many of those options improved in recent years. The Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort, Naples added $6 million worth of enhancements in 2010, among them a motorized ceiling in the 10,125-sq.-ft. Vanderbilt Ballroom and vue, or Virtual User Experience, a state-of-the-art interactive entertainment lounge with video games, Mac computer stations and Blu-ray mini-theater. The resort has 42,000 square feet of meeting space including the Beach House, a two-story building reached by boardwalk from the hotel that provides a secluded space for a special event overlooking the beach.

Naples Grande Beach Resort

The beach resort can accommodate a large leisure crowd and conventions simultaneously, while its sister property a couple miles up the road focuses its attention elsewhere: smaller meetings and golf. The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples has 14 conference rooms and 36 holes of championship golf on the Greg Norman-designed Tiburón course.

Attendees find a different kind of relaxation at the chic Naples Grande Beach Resort, now a member of the Hilton family as a Waldorf Astoria Resort. The inland hotel has a top-rated spa and a sleek, modern design popular with high-tech groups. It has 32,000 square feet of meeting space in two ballrooms and five divisible meeting rooms, and its outdoor terrace around the pool gives special events a sophisticated edge.

A short drive from Naples and largely residential, Marco Island sets the tone for an all-encompassing, laid-back meeting. The Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Golf Club and Spa, has completed a $200 million, multi-year renovation. A $2.5 million lobby redesign is locally inspired with light woods and bright colors. Employees cheerfully serve meeting attendees in Lilly Pulitzer-designed uniforms, and offer custom services like a flash mob package complete with choreographer, videographer and custom T-shirts, or Dance Dance Revolution competitions on the beach. More than 225,000 square feet of bookending conference space on either end of the resort allows for multiple conventions to use the hotel at a time.

Orlando

No matter the size of your group, you’ll find the space you need in Orlando. The city has almost 116,000 hotel rooms and the Orange County Convention Center, which has 2.1 million square feet of meeting space and 74 meeting rooms. Plenty of planners (as well as parents, honeymooners, vacationers and international travelers) have already discovered Orlando: In 2010, the city welcomed 51.4 million visitors, the first destination in the United States to break the 50 million mark. Business and meeting attendees accounted for 9.5 million of those visitors. Brian Martin, Visit Orlando’s corporate communications director, said the state expects about 53.5 million visitors for 2011.

Orange County Convention Center

Mickey Mouse does his part to attract new visitors to the city, but he can only do so much. The rest of the rise in visitor numbers can be attributed in part to continued investment and development in Orlando—in meeting properties, venues and visitor attractions. Wyndham Hotels opened its newest property, the upscale Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek, late last year. The 400-room resort has 25,000 square feet of meeting space and is located just inside Walt Disney World Resort. Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld completed a five-year, $35-million renovation, redeveloping the second-flood meeting space to have 23 breakout rooms, giving the resort 65 total breakout rooms and 185,000 square feet of space. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts sees an opportunity in the Central Florida city. A $360 million Four Seasons property is planned for Walt Disney World Resort. The 444-room hotel will have 37,000 square feet meeting space with a projected opening date of mid-to-late 2014.

Last year, Orlando welcomed a number of large-scale association events. The National Association of Home Builders brought 47,000 attendees to town in January while the Professional Golfers Association added 40,000 visitors later that month. In March, the American Pet Products Association organized an event for 10,000 attendees, and in July, MPI brought 2,700 events to Orlando. Events of size generally opt for the Orange County Convention Center, but smaller groups can find a number of sizeable hotels near the convention center in the I-Drive District (short for International Drive, the street upon which most of the hotels sit). One of those hotels is The Peabody Orlando, a noteworthy area hotel that unveiled a major expansion recently. The hotel now has 30,000 square feet of meeting space and 1,641 rooms after the $450 million upgrade.

There is more venue development and advancement in town, namely the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Construction began last year in downtown Orlando on the venue, which will have a 2,700-seat theater, a public performance plaza for 3,000 people and a 10,000-sq.-ft. education facility with classrooms. The center is expected to open in the fall of 2014. The $480 million Amway Center, home of NBA’s Orlando Magic, opened in 2010 and recently earned Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the first NBA arena to do so.

“Despite the challenging economic times, the Orlando tourism and meetings community continued to invest in new hotels and attractions,” said Gary Sain, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, during a ceremony marking the state’s record visitor numbers. “The fact that Orlando bounced back in 2010 with the most visitation in not only Orlando’s history, but the most of any U.S. destination, shows our aggressive marketing strategies worked and our message resonated with travelers,” he added.

Panama City Beach

If there’s a message Panama City Beach touts, it’s fun and family. The city in Northwest Florida always has been a popular drive-in destination for Southeastern attendees, and the opening of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in 2010 gave the world better access to the 27 miles of gorgeous gulf beaches and multiple meeting facilities.

As a result, more national conventions are drawn to the more than 160,000 square feet of space and 1,800 rooms in conference hotels in Panama City. Among the meeting facilities are The Holiday Inn Resort SeaWatch Conference and Entertainment Center with 4,000 square feet of meeting space, staterooms and kids’ suites, and a water playground. The Boardwalk Beach Resort has a 35,000-sq.-ft. convention center complex and 9,000-sq.-ft. Sunset Pavilion overlooking the gulf to complement its 254 condominiums. The Wyndham Bay Point Resort has 40,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and 355 guest rooms. Situated on a 1,100-acre wildlife preserve on a private peninsula, the resort also has two 18-hole PGA Championship golf courses, including the only Nicklaus-designed course in Northwest Florida.

New to the region is a 2,900-acre Conservation Park with boardwalks and 24 miles of dirt trails. The park, which has an innovative system that rehydrates the region’s protected wetlands with the city’s reclaimed water, is filled with native wildlife, and offers public restrooms, picnic areas and pavilions, as well as an outdoor classroom.

Planners looking to amp up the energy can send attendees to Pier Park, the largest outdoor entertainment venue in Northwest Florida. There are 1 million square feet of shops, restaurants and entertainment, including old-time rides like a carousel and tilt-a-whirl on the Miracle Strip.

Sports events take advantage of Panama City Beach’s amazing weather and athletic facilities. Frank Brown Park has 11 ball fields, four lighted tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts, and recreation areas. A new aquatic center has an Olympic-sized heated swimming pool and water plaground. The facility has hosted USFA Fastpitch Softball, Grand Slam Baseball and World Softball League tournaments, as well as festivals, equestrian shows and special events.

Sarasota

In 1886, the Scottish-born John Hamilton Gillespie arrived in America to what is now known as Sarasota, a warm beach town on the Gulf of Mexico. He became the city’s first official mayor in 1902 and is credited as creating America’s first golf course. Golf remains a popular activity in Sarasota and the surrounding area; Sarasota County has more than 1,000 public or semi-private golf holes.

Golfing is great for teambuilding, but meeting attendees need a place to meet. The Sarasota Bradenton International Convention Center is the obvious place to start. It has 97,000 square feet of meeting space and five meeting rooms. For meetings hotels, the largest property available is the Hyatt Regency Sarasota, a full-service property on the Boulevard of the Arts. It has 294 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel recently completed a $22 million renovation, giving the property a clean, crisp and sophisticated design inspired by fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer, know for her bright, colorful style. The hotel’s 294 guest rooms and meeting space now have a contemporary Florida feel. The 10,000-sq.-ft. ballroom has new carpeting and fixtures to reflect the new style, and the Boathouse, an on-the-water event space, is a more vintage, rustic version of Pulitzer’s design style.

Another upscale meeting hotel is the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, which has 18,000 square feet of meeting space and 266 guest rooms. Longboat Key, located across the bay from downtown Sarasota, has a number of beachside meetings properties including the Longboat Key Club and Resort and the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort.

Off-site venues in Sarasota provide attendees with something different to explore, such as the impressive collection of art from circus tycoon John Ringling at the John and Mable Ringling Museum. The property also has circus museums that chronicle the history of the American circus, as well as beautiful gardens that can host outdoor events. The Van Wezel Performing Arts Halls also provides another space for events. The Roskamp Auditorium, Grand Foyer or Bayfront Lawn offer space and expansive views of Sarasota Bay.

St. Augustine

After some point, meetings cities begin to look the same. Airports begin to blend together. Convention hotels have that same familiar sound and smell to them. But St. Augustine, located south of Jacksonville on Florida’s northeast coast, is different. It looks different, like an old Spanish colonial city. It sounds different, especially along St. George Street where there are no vehicles, just shops and restaurants that visitors meander in and out of. And it smells different, as sea-salt laden air drifts inland from the Atlantic Ocean.

St. Augustine is still Florida, but it’s an altogether different part of Florida. Meetings in St. Augustine are different, too, especially in the historic downtown area. They’re smaller, as the town’s meeting facilities can accommodate small to mid-size groups. The historic Casa Monica Hotel, built in 1888, is an ideal property for special events. The beautiful, Moroccan-style hotel has 138 fashionable guest rooms and 12,000 square feet of meeting space. The 3,000-sq.-ft. Casa Monica Ballroom accommodates groups for sit-down dinners, and the Sultan’s Pavilion event space overlooks the pool and gardens. Another small hotel in the historic district is the Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront, which has 72 rooms and more than 2,000 square feet of meeting space.

Planners find more space outside of St. Augustine’s historic downtown. The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center is located northwest of old St. Augustine off I-95. The resort, which recently completed a $10 million upgrade to its 301 guest rooms, sits on 6,300 acres and is located next to the St. John’s Convention Center, which has 40,000 square feet of meeting space. The combined hotel and convention center have 86,000 square feet of meeting space. The resort also is located next to the World Golf Hall of Fame and has two championship golf courses on-site: King and Bear, the only course ever co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and Slammer and Squire, created by Slammin’ Sammy Sneed and Gene “The Squire” Sarazen. The resort offers free transportation to and from the Jacksonville International Airport for meeting attendees.

Planners can provide attendees with the opportunity to learn the history of this historic town. AdLib Tours organizes walking and driving tours through St. Augustine describing historic venues and sites such as the Lightner Museum, the Government House Museum and Castillo de San Marcos fort. For a teambuilding exercise, the tour company has created The Oldest Amazing Race, inspired by the popular television show. Groups are split up into teams and have to solve puzzles from clues accumulated at different sites across the city.

—Jennifer Garrett and Libby Hoppe

Click on the images below for additional spotlights

MEET | The Resort at MarinaVillage

COMPETE | Pensacola Sports Facilities

CONVENE | Tampa, Florida

VISIT | US Air Force Armament Museum

The region may be the oldest in the country, but pride in its deep-seated roots doesn’t stop the Northeast from evolving. Whether it’s a bustling metropolis like Manhattan or a charming New England town like Providence, each city possesses its own distinct energy and personality, complete with luxury hotels, innovative restaurants and attractions for the family if they decide to tag along. Producing roughly a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product, cities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and Rhode Island are affordable, exciting and easy to reach.

Boston, Massachusetts

Perhaps best known for its rich history, higher education and wicked accent, Boston is a major player in the convention game in the Northeast as the city’s long-term infrastructure investment continues. In the past decade, the Logan International Airport received a $4.4 billion facelift, the $800 million Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was built and about 5,000 hotel rooms were added to the city. Last year also marked the completion of the country’s largest underground tunnel system, or the Big Dig, in Boston—a $15 billion, 20-year investment.

Fenway Park

2012 will be a big year for the city, too. Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox, celebrates its 100th birthday in April. With 15 private rooms and a 50,000-sq.-ft. meeting space, one of America’s most beloved ballparks is a place to consider for meetings and special events during its centennial year. The newly renovated and expanded Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum opens in June 2012. With a capacity of 499, it’s a new venue to look at as well.

If you’re looking for something more traditional, Boston has three convention centers, each with its own personality. The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, which opened in 2004, is a flexible, customer-friendly and technologically advanced convention facility located eight minutes from Logan International Airport and near an Amtrak station. The John B. Hynes Veteran Memorial Convention Center, located in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, recently completed a $30 million update featuring new interior design and technology upgrades. The World Trade Center, located at the Seaport Hotel in South Boston, boasts the largest convention hall of the three.

“Our proximity to the mountains and beaches makes Boston a perfect destination to take advantage of pre- and post-visits following a meeting,” says Beth Stehley, vice president of convention services and sales at Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. Stehley recommends heading out to the Boston Harbor Islands, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket or The Berkshires for an authentic Boston-area getaway.

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford may be the Insurance Capital of the World, but there’s so much more to the historic town. Its proximity to Springfield makes the Hartford-Springfield Metropolitan Area the second most populous region in New England and is revered by locals for its dining scene. With more than 40 independent three- and four-star restaurants within walking distance of downtown, there’s something for every palette.

A sophisticated city with a small town feel, Hartford only accommodates one large group at a time. “Everyone knows when the group is in town and they get lots of recognition in the restaurants and shops,” says Michael Van Parys, president of the Greater Hartford CVB. “When an association has a meeting or convention here, they are always blown away by the uptick in attendance,” says Van Parys.

Pam Cerrone, manager of community relations at Price Chopper Supermarkets, loves meeting in Hartford. “The Connecticut Convention Center is one of a handful of locations that can accommodate the large group of teammates [1,500] and trade partners [750+] that we bring,” says Cerrone, who opts for the four-star Hartford Marriott Downtown for accommodations. “It’s also close to a number of our stores, and the city is clean and easily accessible.”

The New England Region Volleyball Association is returning to Hartford for the third year for its Mizuno Winterfest tournament at the convention center. Dave Peixoto, commissioner for the association, likes how affordable the city is and how helpful the staff at the center is. “[They went] above and beyond working with us during our event. One of their key staff even volunteered to sing the national anthem to open our event. That’s service,” says Peixoto, who booked his next three annual meetings in Hartford.

Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania

Lehigh Valley, which is made up of the three towns of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, is Pennsylvania’s fastest-growing region. Each town has historic downtown districts and eclectic, trendy neighborhoods.

“We have locations for each different type of meeting,” says Marc Kaminetsky, national sales manager at Discover Lehigh Valley. For example, the newly opened ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, located on the site of the former Bethlehem Steel plant, is a 65,000-sq.-ft., multiuse performing arts center featuring floor-to-ceiling glass walls offering a spectacular view of the plant’s iconic blast furnaces.

Click image for off-site meeting adventures in Lehigh Valley

Also in Bethlehem, the Sands Casino Resort, which opened in 2009, features 300 guest rooms, 5,000 square feet of modern meeting space and more than 3,000 square feet of exhibition space. Located 10 minutes from the Lehigh Valley International Airport, the resort has an in-house team of meeting planners and AV specialists.

“The airport is a tremendous asset,” says Kaminetsky. “It has very convenient flights from hub cities, the lines are never very long, parking is a lot less expensive and there’s no tram needed,” says Kaminetsky. He also emphasizes the value found at the region’s hotels. “The majority of our hotels don’t charge for parking and don’t have a lot of those hidden fees that major cities tend to hit you with.”

There are plenty of teambuilding activities in Lehigh Valley. Take your group for an exhilarating ride at the Lehigh Valley Grand Prix, or to learn something new at Sagra Bistro, a restaurant that offers mozzarella cheese-making classes and murder mystery dinners. Dutch Springs recreational facility in Bethlehem offers a wide variety of teambuilding activities, like trust exercises, high-ropes courses and an aqua park.

New York, New York

As the most populous city in the United States, New York City remains the nation’s biggest draw for people who want to take care of business and have a little fun, too. The energy, vibrancy and diversity of New York City is an iconic draw offering a multitude of possibilities, from small meetings to in-house hotel conferences to large conventions and trade shows. With the promise of record-breaking attendance, New York provides your group with thousands of options, low transportation costs and easy access.

“New York’s the center of the universe,” says Jaclyn Bernstein, president and partner at Empire Force Events. “Business revolves and evolves here. It’s a destination people want to go to anyway.”

When Bernstein is planning a meeting or special event in New York, she often opts for the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. “In order to get to Ellis Island, you have to take a ferry from Battery Park, so you get to see a lot of the city from the water, which accomplishes something very New York.” Bernstein also recommends the skyline-sweeping rooms at Top of the Rock Observation Deck.

There are plenty of new lodging and events options in New York. “By year’s end, New York will have approximately 90,000 hotel rooms throughout the five boroughs, and 7,000 more rooms in the pipeline,” says Christopher Heywood, vice president of communications at NYC and Company. “The number of hotels has tripled, offering excellent opportunities for meeting planners with options at every price point.”

New hotels, including Hyatt 48 Lex and the Conrad New York, open this year, and many more are undergoing renovations in order to be competitive with the new inventory popping up in the city. Also, the massive, glass-enclosed Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has been undergoing renovations since 2009, and is currently installing the largest green roof in the Northeast. The facility has 1.1 million square feet of meeting space after the nine-phase expansion added exhibition, pre-function and outdoor space.

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence has been called many things over the years, from the “Beehive of Industry” to “The Renaissance City” and now, the “Creative Capital.” Today, the name fits in the city with its vibrant arts scene and large community of talented chefs (some of whom are James Beard-award nominees). Home to Ivy League Brown University, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Johnson and Wales University, Providence is truly a college town: smart, stylish, passionate and creative.

With an intimate, small-town feel, you can easily walk from venue to venue without feeling overwhelmed. And yet, there are all the amenities of a metropolis: great restaurants, noteworthy hotels, shopping and fascinating attractions, like the Trinity Repertory Theater Company, where Oscar-nominees Richard Jenkins and Viola Davis got their starts.

Jean Plotkin, Labs21 conference manager, came away with a great impression of the city after planning a meeting in Providence. “Everyone we worked with, from the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau to the Rhode Island Convention Center to the local businesses, treated us with incredibly personalized attention, like we were their only clients.

“We took attendees over to [the universities] for off-site tours of the school’s laboratory facilities, [which] were fantastic, but the drives were particularly interesting, as we got to see a lot of the historic homes along the way,” says Plotkin. “The conference staff also headed over to Federal Hill for dinner one night. I definitely recommend that other groups go there at least once during their stay.”

Q&A: Brian Hodge, PWCVB

Plotkin was also pleased with the city’s sustainability efforts. “Our conference focuses on green high-tech facilities, so it’s important for our event to walk the talk,” she says. “The Rhode Island Convention Center has green hospitality certification, and our event managers helped us build more sustainable elements into our catering and operations.”

She also liked that Providence is a foot-friendly city with a good public transit system and it’s welcoming for families. “[About] a quarter of our attendees brought family with them and made a vacation out of the trip,” she says. “With so much to do in Providence, and with Boston and Newport so close by, it was easy for them to see other sights while in the area.”

Kansas City Power and Light District

The Midwest and Great Lakes section of the U.S. always has been a melting pot. Known for its ethnic diversity and proud of its strong cultural traditions, many parts of the area originally were settled by immigrants of European descent. German, Polish, Russian, Czech and Slovakian influences run heavy here, which you’ll see reflected in the local food favorites (kolaches, anyone?), celebrations and abundance of breweries. Milwaukee welcomes guests to a number of summer festivals like Festa Italiana and Polish Fest, while Omaha offers a cobblestoned Old Market district that’s full of restaurants, pubs and galleries. The region is affordable and fun—it’s no wonder its cities land at the top of event planners’ lists.

Cincinnati, Ohio

CincyUSA is the moniker used by the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau, and it’s a reflection of the upbeat pride locals have for their city, named by Esquire as one of the Top 10 Cities That Rock. But recently, Cincy has also become known for being accommodating and welcoming to a wide array of ethnic organizations looking for a place to host their conferences and conventions. With approximately 3,000 guest rooms in a three-block radius from the Duke Energy Convention Center, the city is poised to become a major player on the event-planning circuit.

One example: The city hosts the Prince Hall Shriners 2011 Imperial Session in August. The African-American organization is expected to bring in more than 25,000 attendees who will use approximately 17,000 hotel rooms and add about $5 million to the local economy. Another example: The national convention for the League of United Latin American Citizens heads to town in July.

“We’ve been working with members of the Cincinnati CVB since 2007 on bringing our 82nd national convention to the area,” says Jason Riviero, the Ohio state director for LULAC, “and they’ve really done a tremendous job.

Cincinnati Museum Center Rotunda

“One of the selling points to our LULAC delegates is that it’s not a traditional market for Latinos. We’re a relatively new group to the area, so we have the opportunity to impact the community by holding our meeting here. But another main selling point is the fact that because we’re expecting about 15,000 attendees, we could find accommodations for all of them within a short distance to the Duke Energy Center. We’ve been to other places where people had to walk or take buses to the venue; but with several hotels directly connected by skywalks, it will be a lot easier for everyone to get around.”

Savvy planners might want to consider hosting events in any one of a dozen unique meeting spaces that include the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, a 158,000-sq.-ft. facility that includes a performance theater and exhibits gallery; the Great American Ball Park, a riverfront development that’s an old-style baseball stadium and home to the Cincinnati Reds; the Contemporary Arts Center, the first art museum in the U.S. designed by a woman (Zaha Hadid), which offers 20,000 square feet of exhibit space and a 200-seat theater; or the well-known Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Considered one of the top three zoos in the nation, it features venue options such as the indoor Safari Lodge and the LEED-certified Frisch’s Theater.

Kansas City, Missouri

Saying Kansas City is located in Missouri might confuse someone who’s never been there. Kansas City is in Missouri, but it’s also in Kansas. More than 2 million people live in this metro area that straddles the state line. Kansas City might exist in two states, but it shares a singular personality thanks to the people and places you find there. Its residents are friendly. Its restaurants are relaxed. Its shopping centers, entertainment districts and businesses are busy but not frenzied. It’s gracious and charming, and it’s also going through a revitalization and cultural expansion not seen in decades.

The nucleus of that renaissance is downtown in the city’s convention district, which is why meeting planners who haven’t seen Kansas City in the past few years really haven’t seen Kansas City. Spending $5 billion in a 14-block urban district certainly changes the landscape. Some of that money helped build the 18,500-seat Sprint Center, an all-glass bubble arena that’s hosted a number of concerts and sports events since it opened in 2007. More than $850 million funneled into the Kansas City Power and Light District next door, an eight-block dining and entertainment complex open midday for lunches and meetings, and late night for bar hopping and socializing. Another slice of cash went to expanding and updating the Kansas City Convention Center. The 46,000-sq.-ft. grand ballroom opened in 2007 and is LEED Silver certified. It has an innovative lighting system that uses a lot of natural light; the entire south and east walls of the ballroom are floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

Kansas City has long had a reputation as a barbecue-rich cattle town, but another word keeps popping up in discussions about the city: culture. It’s not that culture is new to the Midwest town: It’s home to the internationally recognized Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Jazz musicians have long called K.C. home, including the legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker, and Blue Room at 18th and Vine streets is consistently named one of the top jazz lounges in the country. But the city has done something many other cities haven’t done in recent years: invested in its arts scene. Empty lots and vacant warehouses were transformed into boutiques, restaurants and art galleries to establish the Crossroads Arts District, and this fall the much-anticipated $413 million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opens, giving the symphony, opera and ballet a new home.

The city has everything else planners look for in destination cities: 2,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center, museums and affordable conference hotels (including the Kansas City Marriott Downtown and the Hyatt Regency Crown Center). It also has major league sports teams, casinos and upscale shopping and dining at the Country Club Plaza. It’s one of the cities you find ever so often in the Midwest—a place where you feel important but don’t have to pay extra for the special treatment. It just comes with the territory.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Though Schlitz’s advertising slogan might tell you it’s “the beer that made Milwaukee famous,” residents of Wisconsin’s largest city might beg to differ. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan where the Menomonee, Kinnickinnic and Milwaukee rivers connect, there are more than 14,000 acres of parkland that grace the city; much of it lakeside. So it could be all that waterfront parkland that makes it famous. Or perhaps it’s Summerfest, an event that sees almost 1 million visitors in just 10 days. Or maybe it’s Milwaukee’s Calatrava-designed art museum, with its spectacular architectural engineering and the fabulous masterpieces it contains.

Regardless of the reason, Milwaukee is undoubtedly famous with planners who frequent the city and the more than 330,000 annual attendees who arrived there in 2010 alone. One reason for its popularity is the Frontier Airlines Center, part of a larger complex that also includes the 12,700-seat U.S. Cellular Arena, the $42 million recently renovated 4,100-seat Milwaukee Theater, and two hotels—a 721-room Hilton and 488-room Hyatt—bookending the conference center and connected via skyways.

“Our convention center is a pretty unique draw for planners,” says Visit Milwaukee’s Brent Foerster, vice president of sales and marketing. “During the planning phase, we brought in focus groups consisting of event and meeting planners to get input from their perspective. Based on our findings, we designed the complex to be compact and efficient. For example, our meeting and exhibit space is spread out over three floors, versus three city blocks. Additionally, we have huge circular driveways that allow trucks to make deliveries to oversized docks.

“We’re a big city,” Foerster adds, “but we’re very walkable. There are about 125 restaurants within easy walking distance of the convention center complex, including those along Riverwalk, which traces the path of each of the three rivers. And within a 10-minute drive of downtown you can be in the village of Wauwatosa, with its historic downtown and old limestone buildings that have been restored and now house boutiques, coffeehouses, restaurants and antiques shops.”

Still, many will plan their events not so much based on venue location, but because they’ll coincide with one of Milwaukee’s well-known summer festivals. For example, the USA National Gymnastics Championship is booked during next year’s Summerfest, which will allow participants (young gymnasts ages 5 to 18) to perform at the festival. In response to this type of event-planning tactic, Don Smiley, president and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival Inc., says, “We are honored to host the opening ceremonies of the 2012 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships while showcasing Summerfest, [and] we are confident the gymnasts and their families will truly enjoy being a part of this world-class music event.”

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, the largest city in Nebraska, bills itself as “The Center of Attention.” Given its location in the heart of the Midwest, that’s certainly a fair assessment. Smack-dab in the center of the country, it blends Midwestern hospitality and affordability with the excitement of a city at full throttle.

Founded in 1854 alongside the Missouri River by a coterie of Native Americans, pioneers and meatpackers, today it’s a vibrant blend of hardworking professionals who reflect cultural diversity at its best. A 2.5-hour plane flight from either coast lands visitors at Eppley Airfield, a mere five-minute drive from downtown. Home to five Fortune 500 companies (including Berkshire Hathaway), Omaha also has been referred to as the nation’s No. 1 best bang for the buck city.
Recently, the riverfront and downtown area have enjoyed restoration efforts with more $2 billion spent on new development. There’s also the $22 million Bob Kerrey Bridge that allows pedestrians to cross over the Missouri river while enjoying dynamic skyline views, and the Old Market historic district, where cobblestoned streets are filled with performers, jazz clubs, cafes, pubs and horse-drawn carriages.

If there’s a predominant jewel in the city’s crown, it’s most likely Qwest Center, Omaha’s convention center that’s linked to a 450-room Hilton via a glass-enclosed skywalk. Omaha is known as an art-loving city, and conventioneers can view more than 40 sculptures that are part of a $2 million public art project created by artist Matthew Placzek and inspired by a 13th-century Venetian Carnival celebration.

On the more practical side, Qwest features 23 loading docks and three drive-in ramps that provide easy access to the exhibition halls. Based on his experience hosting an event at the center, Bob St. Pierre, vice president of marketing for Pheasants Forever says, “We have members of the general public who attend Pheasant Fest, as well as members of our organization, a lot of whom live in Nebraska and Iowa, so the location for us was ideal. We had almost 22,000 attendees over the course of our three-day event, and we selected Qwest because it had all the accoutrements we were looking for in a venue. It’s also very convenient for our vendors since it’s so close to the airport.

“And even though we’re based out of the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, which gets pretty cold, it was still nice being connected to the center by the skywalk, especially in January.”

Another venue of note is the Joslyn Art Museum (Nebraska’s largest art museum), where events can be held in the ConAgra Foods Atrium, a contemporary space that seats 400 and is enclosed by a 45-foot glass ceiling highlighted by two Dale Chihuly sculptures. Another alternative for a hosted event is the Strategic Air and Space Museum, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009. Planners can use the entire museum or rent individual hangars where guests can sit in and among the historic aircraft on display.

“The facility can accommodate up to 3,000 guests, and we can even move the aircraft around,” says Laura Lessmann, events and volunteer coordinator for the museum. “The atrium is one of our best-selling features. It’s enclosed by a huge glass dome, and seating is done underneath the wings of an FR71 plane so you can still host a spectacular indoor event that makes you feel like you’re outdoors, even in winter.”

St. Louis, Missouri

For many, St. Louis is known as home to the Arch, the 63-story monument to the western expansion of the United States built in the 1960s. Commemorating the spot where President Jefferson sent explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their now-famous mission, the Gateway Arch stands as a testament to the spirit of exploration. And though other big cities across the country might garner more attention, St. Louis can be proud of such venue options such as its park that’s larger than New York’s Central Park (at 1,370 acres, Forest Park was the site of the 1904 World’s Fair) and what was once the world’s largest and busiest passenger rail terminal. Opened in 1894, St. Louis Union Station was modeled after a French medieval city and features a barrel-vaulted Grand Hall with gold-leaf detailing, mosaic work and Tiffany stained glass windows—all next door to a full-service Marriott with 39 meeting rooms and 35,000 square feet of meeting space.

Just as President Jackson invested in the future of western exploration, so too have the city fathers invested in the future of St. Louis. With a $352 million commitment to the development of the downtown area, projects such as the Mercantile Exchange mixed-use district will provide conventioneers with a host of dining, lodging and entertainment options.

Meeting planners can feel the spirit of St. Louis by hosting events at the America’s Center Convention Complex. With more than 500,000 square feet of meeting space and a convention services department that’s won several industry awards, it’s no wonder the Robotics Championship that was held here recently drew 18,000 participants to its inaugural competition. Also, St. Louis is within about 1,500 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population.

“I can’t say enough great things about the city,” says Dewayne Johnson, professional development director for the Soil and Water Conservation Society, which held its 65th annual conference in the city in 2010. “It was our fourth time in St. Louis, and we had an outstanding experience. The cost was very reasonable, and the hotel was extremely accommodating.”

Because the meeting drew a relatively small number of attendees, the 675-room Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark was a perfect choice. “We did one very small exhibit hall with about 20 booths,” Johnson says. “The ballroom we were in had windows that look out onto the Arch. And because there was so much to do within easy walking distance, we didn’t have to worry about planning any companion activities for the spouses and kids. However, we learned that the week we were there the Cardinals were going to be in town, so we arranged to take 275 people to the game. We really had an outstanding experience.”

________________

Special Places

Learn more about these Midwest venues by clicking on the pictures below.

Brown v. Board of Education Site

Des Moines Botanical Center

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Art in Grand Rapids

Branson

Atlanta, Georgia

Known as the capital of the South, Atlanta, already home to 5 million residents, continues to grow. Likewise, when it comes to attractions, there’s always something new in town. Of course, there’s the famous Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, but there’s more on the way. The aquarium opened its $110 million dolphin exhibit in April; Legoland Discovery Center opens in 2012 and the College Football Hall of Fame relocates to Atlanta in 2013.

“If you haven’t been to Atlanta and its surrounding areas in the past five years, you haven’t seen Atlanta,” says Rachel Rosenberg, public relations manager for the Atlanta CVB. Another big draw for the city: It’s easy to get to. “The city is the hub of the Southeast with three major interstates running through downtown,” Rosenberg says. “It is a four-hour drive for most visitors in the Southeast. And 80 percent of the U.S. population is within a two-hour flight of Atlanta.” Those passengers fly into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, which has two convenient train lines running to the downtown, Midtown and Buckhead business and meeting districts.

It was in Buckhead, a neighborhood about five miles north of downtown, where Tia Ervin, Atlanta chair for the Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants, held a recent meeting for the group. She chose Shula’s 347 Grill at the Atlanta Marriott Buckhead hotel. “It was recommended to me because of the incredible food and the inviting atmosphere,” Ervin says. “To honor our mission to be more visible in this market we want to be where the action is.” Other conference hotels in Buckhead include Grand Hyatt Atlanta, JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead and W Atlanta Buckhead.

Downtown has its own collection of meeting hotels near the Georgia World Congress Center and AmericasMart, two of the city’s large conference facilities. (Atlanta has four facilities with more than 140,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Congress Center topping all of them with 1.4 million.) All the major hotel chains are represented downtown: Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, Westin and Ritz-Carlton.

Just outside of Atlanta’s city limits are Sandy Springs and Alpharetta. Sandy Springs, Georgia’s sixth largest city, has more than 20 miles of shoreline along the Chattahoochee River, 11 parks to explore, a dynamic economy and a strong sense of community. Alpharetta, about 20 miles from Atlanta, is gaining in popularity, too. The charming city has 150 dining options, upscale boutique hotels and quickly is becoming known as a sports destination.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotteans say you only need to visit the Queen City once. Why? Because, as the story goes, you’ll end up moving there afterward. It’s that charming. Thriving intersections are blocks away from green spaces. Skyscrapers tower above tranquil neighborhoods. Guests and locals eat at the same restaurants and walk the same streets in this city that blends a fast-paced business atmosphere with Southern charm.

Charlotte’s full of history, too, which appeals to the National Association of Women Business Owners. In May, the organization hosts its awards gala at the city’s legendary Palmer Building. “The venue is historic and the entire area enjoys tree-lined streets, but it’s also home to some of Charlotte’s best modern spas and salons, and dining establishments,” says Eshe Glover, Peppercorn PR event planner. “Additionally, it’s centrally located: It’s less than five minutes from uptown Charlotte and nine miles from the airport.”

Then there’s the city’s most precious commodity: its people. “From the moment you arrive, you feel like you’re among friends, and that’s reason enough for us to continue selecting Charlotte as the locale for clients’
meetings and events,” Glover says.

The Charlotte Convention Center has 46 meeting rooms and a spacious 35,000-sq.-ft. ballroom that seats 1,800. The 280,000 square feet of exhibit space can accommodate up to 1,250 exhibit booths. Better yet, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which opened a year ago, connects to the convention center via an above-the-street walkway and boasts a  40,000-sq.-ft. ballroom. As for accommodations, the 700-room Westin Charlotte and the recently revamped Hilton Charlotte Center City flank each side of the convention center. A few blocks away, the hip Aloft hotel is tailor-made for the jet-set traveler while the new Ritz-Carlton caters to a higher-end clientele with a penthouse spa and luxury amenities.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

This year, Fort Lauderdale turns 100, and the coastal community is starting to show its age—in a good way. The city, which became known as a spring break hotspot thanks to the 1960 movie “Where the Boys Are,” is growing up and maturing, turning into a respected beach destination with high-end resorts and award-winning restaurants. The city hasn’t completely turned its back on bikini-clad spring breakers, but it’s given meeting planners more than one reason to look twice.

The city’s hotel developments in recent years cater to the meeting and convention crowd as opposed to the college students stopping in for a budget beachside room. The Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB recently established the Lauderdale Luxe Collection, a group of about a dozen well-appointed properties, suitable for large meetings and retreats. Properties include the re-opened 433-room Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale, which has 32,000 square feet of meeting space; Hyatt Regency Bonaventure, a 23-acre resort with 60,000 square feet of meeting space and a spa in nearby Weston; and The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, with 192 rooms, a 29,000-sq.-ft. pool deck and an ocean-view ballroom that can accommodate 520 people.

A handful of restaurants are also part of the Luxe Collection and have space for small group dinners. Trina, a Mediterranean restaurant, sits on the beach and has outdoor dining overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Cero at The Ritz-Carlton is classic Florida seafood prepared in a contemporary French style.

A good destination to direct groups to is Las Olas Boulevard, a single-street shopping and dining district that runs perpendicular to the beach. Local antique, floral, design and jewelry shops sit intermittently between coffee shops, restaurants, spas and art galleries. The area hosts events such as the Las Olas Wine and Food Festival and Las Olas Art Festival.

Larger events can utilize the Broward County Convention Center, a 600,000-sq.-ft. facility located between the hotels located on Fort Lauderdale Beach and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The three-story center has a large wall of glass that runs along the eastern side of the building, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway on which it sits. The building has four exhibit halls, two ballrooms and 31 meeting rooms. The CVB also has established the Convention Collection, a set of six hotels located within a mile and a half of the convention center. The hotels are Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Port Everglades, Sheraton Fort Lauderdale, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Harbor Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, and Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale. They have a total of 2,700 rooms.

Hilton Head, South Carolina

More than 2.5 million visitors head to Hilton Head, which anchors South Carolina’s southern coast, each year. With its subtropical climate, leisurely activities and some of the Southeast’s finest saltwater fishing, that comes as no surprise. This laid-back, yet sophisticated island is a place where flip-flops are worn with khakis and Lilly Pulitzer frocks are a wardrobe staple.

“Hilton Head Island is a great destination because the atmosphere is so inviting,” says Jessica Gardo, manager of marketing and public relations for the Hilton Head Island Visitor and Convention Bureau. “We were green before sustainability even became a buzzword.” Hilton Head was the first eco-planned resort destination in the country, she says, and prides itself on having a carefully preserved, natural environment with protected saltwater marshes, loggerhead sea turtles and tree canopies.

There aren’t any streetlights along the roadways or flashy neon signs in town either. “All of this combines for a relaxing, rejuvenating island vibe that really sets the stage for any meeting, putting attendees in the right mindset to get the most out of their stay,” Gardo says.

Meeting planners especially love the Hilton Head Island Difference program. The program gives groups the opportunity to take part in social responsibility projects organized by the VCB. Two-hour, half-day and full-day programs are available. The activities, such as kayak marsh clean-ups or maintenance of facilities like the Coastal Discovery Museum, encourage teamwork and add an environmental and historical education component to events.

Gardo offers a tip for planners: “Meetings on Hilton Head Island are a great value during our shoulder and off-seasons (October through March) when rates are better and the summer family crowds are back in school,” she says. “The weather is temperate year-round and enjoying the beach or being on the golf course is pleasant any time of year. Functions such as a Low Country boil or oyster roast are great outdoor dining experiences that only happen during these months.”

There are five oceanfront hotels that accommodate groups, ranging from executive retreats to groups up to 2,000. The island has two boutique inns for smaller conferences. The largest ballroom, located at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort and spa, accommodates 2,000 people. There are several select service properties as well, such as the Hilton Garden Inn, which can accommodate overflow from the larger hotel properties.

Kissimmee, Florida

If you think the Kissimmee area, just outside of Orlando, is all rollercoasters and pixie dust, prepare to be pleasantly overwhelmed. In addition to the wide range of entertainment and attractions, Kissimmee has more than 47,000 guest rooms, including brand-name hotels, luxury resorts, vacation homes and villas with everything from large meeting space in luxury resorts to boardrooms ideally suited for team planning or strategy sessions.

In this land of over-the-top venues, Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center fits right in. Cindy Molnar, executive assistant and director of meetings for the Florida Association of Insurance Agents, has organized meetings at the popular hotel, which touts 400,000 square feet of meeting space. Couple that with a long list of amenities, and it’s bound to please any meeting planner. “The hotel is unique with the atrium and the amenities within the hotel itself for attendees and their families to enjoy,” Molnar says. “There is a variety of restaurants and price points so attendees find it’s affordable to stay in the hotel and dine, too.”

Jeff Abbaticchio, director of media relations for the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, adds, “We are a destination meetings property; there is no need to leave unless guests want to explore the excitement of the many theme parks the Orlando/
Kissimmee area has to offer.”

Beyond the three big theme parks, there are new attractions nearby like Fantasy Surf, a 14,000-sq.-ft. indoor aquatic recreation attraction that gives visitors the chance to hop on a body board and ride the waves indoors; Alligator Alley Country Bar, which is built inside of a stone castle; and the Screamin’ Gator zip line at Gatorland, opening this summer, which takes riders along 1,200 feet of high-flying adventure over alligators and jumping crocs.

Mississippi Gulf Coast

When it comes to rich culture and heritage, the Magnolia State has plenty, from antebellum homes to Civil War sites. At the turn of the 19th century, the Mississippi Delta was the birthplace of the blues. In 1935, Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo. The list goes on and on.

Equally appealing are the state’s other amenities like world-class golf courses, noteworthy art museums and casino resorts. Its popular events attract crowds, too. Take your pick from the Gulfport Music Festival or Kite Fest in May, St. Paul’s Seafood Festival or Schooner Races in June, Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo in July and the Long Beach Fest in August.

It’s a well-rounded destination, and convenient, too. “The state offers great meeting space like the Mississippi Coast Convention Center, which has more than 410,000 square feet of meeting space, and resort facilities that offer meeting space such as Beau Rivage Resort and Casino and IP Casino Resort Spa,” says Taryn Pratt Sammons, social media/media relations specialist at the Mississippi Gulf Coast CVB.

The region has a current room inventory of more than 12,500 rooms. The area has golf, fishing, and history and culture sites including the Beauvoir, the last home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum. The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, Walter Anderson Museum of Art and water-based attractions such as the Biloxi Shrimping Trip or Ship Island Excursions are other popular sites for activities or events.

Palm Beaches, Florida

Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, located about 65 miles north of Miami, hug Florida’s Atlantic coast and have long attracted a well-to-do crowd with their upscale resorts and sparkling waterways. Other crowd pleasers include the Norton Museum of Art, Henry Morrison Flagler Museum and 170 golf courses.

But sprinkled in with high-end resorts are also a collection of full-service meeting properties in the Palm Beaches’ 38 cities and towns and 200 hotels. The area’s convention and entertainment district brings together the 350,000-sq.-ft. convention center, a world-class performing arts center and CityPlace, an upscale shopping, dining and entertainment district.

St. Augustine Grand Atrium

Conference hotels include the Boca Raton Resort and Club, which is a Waldorf-Astoria resort, with more than 1,000 guest rooms; the 352-room West Palm Beach Marriott, within walking distance of CityPlace and the convention center; and PGA National Resort and Spa, located about 15 minutes from the airport, with 339 guest rooms and 33,900 square feet of meeting space.

Last year marked the completion of a $30 million renovation of West Palm Beaches’ downtown waterfront. Completed in February, the 4.5-acre restoration features a $250,000 lighting system for nightly light shows; green space with swings and seating along its perimeter; a 400-sq.-ft. visitor center; a 4,000-sq.-ft. pavilion for public events and private parties; and a half an acre of beach. The development is the perfect venue for new year-round events and programming for the area, and hosts long-established major events like SunFest and the annual Palm Beach International Boat Show.

The additions don’t end there. “We just received a new water taxi service in the north part of the county and are anticipating a new artificial reef and scuba diving park along the Jupiter inlet in the near future,” says Carli Smith, director of public relations and communications for the Palm Beach County CVB. It was recently announced that the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center will undergo $80 million in expansions and improvements.

More Travel Tips

• Two South Florida resorts teamed up to provide planners with creative meeting and teambuilding packages. Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort and Spa in Ft. Myers and Hutchison Island Marriott Beach Resort and Marina in Stuart created the Elements of Success program with four distinct package options relating to the four classic elements: earth, wind, water and fire. The earth package, for example, takes groups to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife or the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center, and the wind package includes a group tennis lesson or golf clinic.

• It’s Fort Lauderdale’s 100th birthday, and the city is hosting a number of events throughout the year to celebrate the centennial. To find out if an event is coinciding with your visit, go to sunny.org/centennial.

• Visitors to Charleston, S.C., don’t have to carry any spare change to get around town. The city has picked up the tab for riders on the green trolley bus, which loops around downtown every 10 minutes.

• WonderWorks, the upside-down mind-bender amusement park, opened a new location this spring in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Exhibits include the WonderWall, made of 40,000 plastic pins where people can create 3D images of their bodies, and Shuttle Landers, which simulates the landing of the Discovery Space Shuttle. The 50,000-sq.-ft. park can be rented out for events.

________________

Special Places

Learn more about these Southeast venues by clicking on the pictures below.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

River Arts District

Beaches of South Walton

Central Florida

Cities such as New Orleans, Nashville, Tenn., and Washington, D.C., boldly shout, “Look at me,” while less populous communities wait to be discovered by those looking for something off the beaten track. The individual spirit of each and the synergy that pulls the regions together capture the attention of planners looking for the consummate destination for upcoming meetings or conventions.

Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston, West Virginia’s capital city, has small-town charm but the amenities of a larger metropolis. Located within 500 miles of half the U.S. population, it prides itself on being safe, affordable and accessible. Add to that a number of first-class meeting and event facilities, inspiring cultural museums and a wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities, and it’s easy to see why this city has arrived on the radar of many planners.

Carol Hancock, chief executive officer of the International Chili Society, found the city had everything she needed for the 43rd annual ICS World’s Championship Chili Cookoff in 2009. The three-day event required a large venue, and Appalachian Power Park fit the bill. In addition to being the home stadium of the West Virginia Power, a minor-league baseball team, the park rents space for group gatherings.

“The Charleston CVB contacted us and convinced us to come to Charleston,” Hancock says. “We’re based in southern California, so for years the world’s championship was held on the West Coast. This was the first time we held the event east of the Mississippi.

“At first the members said, ‘What? West Virginia?’ But once they were there, they enjoyed the area.”

The Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, home to the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, also offers rental space for receptions, dinners and other events, though planners for large conventions often book the Charleston Civic Center. This centrally located facility has 150,000 square feet of exhibit space and a 13,500-seat coliseum.

It’s within walking distance of the Charleston Town Center Mall, the largest urban indoor shopping mall in the East, and several hotels, including the Charleston Marriott Town Center with 17,500 square feet of flexible meeting space. The hotel is currently undergoing an $8 million renovation of its lobby and 352 guest rooms to be completed by fall 2012.

The West Virginia State Capitol Complex and the $17 million newly renovated West Virginia State Museum at the Culture Center introduce visitors to the state’s rich history, and the entire area has opportunities for outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking and whitewater rafting.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga’s prime location in driving distance of many East Coast and Midwest cities combined with its affordability and diverse meeting venues adds up to an

attractive package for meeting planners.

This city also has an enviable revitalized waterfront, vibrant arts district and world-class museums and attractions, including the world’s largest freshwater aquarium. The latter was one of the venues the Giant Screen Cinema Association chose for its international conference and trade show last September.

“Our association visits different cities every year to see how theaters in their local markets operate,” says the association’s Executive Director Tammy Seldon, CMP. “The IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium is very successful and met the technical specifications to host us.” She also organized an event at Carmike Cinemas’ Majestic 12, the first LEED-certified movie theater, and used the Chattanooga Marriott at the Convention Center as the host hotel.

“Chattanooga is a very affordable destination,” Seldon adds. “Many of our members are nonprofits, so this allows the maximum number of people to attend.”

The city also earns points with planners for having one the country’s top 10 green convention centers. Everything at the 185,000-sq.-ft. Chattanooga Convention Center is conveniently located on one level, but it’s the facility’s strong commitment to sustainability and other green initiatives that sets it apart from many other convention centers. So does its farm-to-table program, which supports local food producers.

The Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, a Historic Hotels of America property, was built in 1909 as the city’s main railway terminal. Its transformation into a hotel complex with railroad-themed accommodations, vintage locomotive engines and multiple restaurants provides another option for planners. Its rental space ranges from a restored American rail car seating 24 to the much larger Grand Central Station with 16,000 square feet of floor space.

Groups can charter their own Tennessee Valley Railroad steam train for a scenic excursion. All trips depart from Grand Junction Depot, 15 minutes from the hotel complex. Throughout 2011, the railroad, the largest historic railroad in the South, will offer special events and all-day excursions in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

Planners also can organize a dinner cruise on the Tennessee River on the Southern Belle Riverboat or plan an off-site reception at the Hunter Museum of Art, which has river-view terraces, exquisite art galleries and a grand foyer. Another picturesque location is Ruby Falls. Its underground caverns and 145-foot waterfalls provide an unrivaled event setting and can be combined with a ride on the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway and visit to Rock City.

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg is nicely positioned on the Interstate 95 Capital Corridor connecting Richmond, Virginia’s capital, to the nation’s capital. It has ties to George Washington (Ferry Farm was his boyhood home) and the Civil War. Its reasonably priced hotels and meeting venues and proximity to Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., are major draws.

The Virginia, D.C. and Maryland chapter of the American Public Works Association needed to find a venue large enough to meet all the needs for its 2011 conference in May. The Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center had exactly what the group required.

“It is challenging to rotate our annual conference around this large geographic region because very few facilities can meet our needs within our budget. We require a lot of space for a public works equipment competition we hold in conjunction with the conference,” says Liz Garrett, chapter administrator. “Victoria Matthews with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism helped us locate a facility in centrally located Fredericksburg that could handle our needs.”

The expo and conference center has 85,000 square feet of versatile exhibit space and 12,000 square feet of designated meeting space. It’s part of the Celebrate Virginia complex, which includes the 148-room Hilton Garden Inn Fredericksburg with 2,700 square feet of meeting space, a Hampton Inn, Hyatt Place and Homewood Suites.

One of the city’s newest hotels, the Residence Inn, recently added a full-service conference facility with 2,600 square feet for meetings. Its proximity to the Spotsylvania Towne Centre provides meeting-goers with dining, shopping and meeting options in one convenient location. Many groups also book the 196-room Fredericksburg Hospitality House Hotel and Conference Center, which has 18,000 square feet of newly renovated meeting space and can accommodate functions and receptions with up to 750 people.

For more unusual meeting venues, The Inn at Fredericksburg Square, a circa-1854 mansion in Old Town Fredericksburg, features two ballrooms and a full-service kitchen for banquet service for up to 250 people. The 1790s Georgian-style home and studio of American impressionist painter Gari Melchers accommodates up to 150 people for meetings and 100 for banquet seating.

Newport News, Virginia

Newport News can trace its origins almost as far back as the first settlement in nearby Jamestown and is home to several one-of-a-kind museums including North America’s largest maritime museum. But it’s the city’s accessibility—not just its history or attractions—that appeals to groups like the Society of Allied Weight Engineers. It has held its Worldwide Weight and Balance Conference at the Newport News Marriott at City Center three times, most recently in January 2010.

“Initially, we chose Newport News because of its brand new convention center,” says Bonnie Stratton, meeting planner for the society. “But we’ve returned because they go out of their way to treat us like royalty. Many of our 500 attendees are military or work for the government, so the location’s convenient.”

The 256-room Newport News Marriott at City Center has a 23,000-sq.-ft. conference center, the city’s largest, at City Center at Oyster Point. This 52-acre mixed-use urban village has more than 40 shops and restaurants, offering everything convention-goers need in one compact, walkable location.

Three full-service properties with an additional 454 rooms are located near the conference center, including the Omni Newport News Hotel, the overflow hotel for Stratton’s conference. The 182-room hotel, which recently underwent a nearly $1 million makeover, features 10,000 square feet of function space. “The conference provides training for people who work in aviation to ensure the safety of aircraft,” Stratton notes. “Participants learn how to use software to weigh planes. The last two times we met here we also used Fort Eustis for training people to physically weigh aircraft.”

Many of the city’s major attractions are within a 10-minute drive of City Center including the Virginia Living Museum, where 30 conference staff met for an evening reception and museum tour.

Maritime history. The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Va., is home to the USS Monitor Center, the official repository from artifacts recovered from the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor.

The nationally renowned Mariners’ Museum with its full-scale replica of the USS Monitor also is available for receptions and meetings, as is the Ferguson Center for the Arts. The latter, located on the Christopher Newport University campus, allows planners to add an on-site reception with a musical performance or other entertainment to the agenda.

With the Civil War’s Sesquicentennial next year, the city’s rich military history will make it a popular choice for meetings. In addition to the USS Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum, groups can tour historic homes in the area, including one that briefly served as a Confederate hospital.

New Orleans, Louisiana

It’s been almost six years since Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans, flooding much of the city and causing major damage in other parts. Since then, the city has undergone massive revitalization efforts with more than $500 million invested in hotel renovations. Five years ago, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center received a $60 million makeover and another $31 million has been invested since, helping further improve the facility. It’s now the sixth largest and among the most technologically advanced convention centers in the country.

The American Physical Therapy Association booked the convention center, the 1,622-room Hilton New Orleans Riverside and 11 overflow properties for its February convention, which more than 9,000 people attended.

“The city has always been a draw for us,” says Director of Meetings and Exhibitions Alison McIntyre. “Both the Hilton and the convention center delivered exemplary customer service on every front. In addition, the collaboration between the New Orleans CVB and the properties makes meeting there so easy.”

The 2011 Joint Mathematics Meetings also chose New Orleans for its most recent conference for members of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America.

“New Orleans has always been a very popular city for our attendees,” says Penny Pina, CMP, director of meetings and conferences for AMS. “I think part of the reason is that it’s easy to get to. Another is that there is so much to do. This was our third meeting in New Orleans and, just like the two before, we had record-breaking attendance: 5,986 participants.

“We used the New Orleans Marriott, Sheraton New Orleans and JW Marriott for space and sleeping rooms because we prefer to be in that area near the French Quarter. We added the Astor Crowne Plaza, Hotel Monteleone and Hilton Doubletree for additional sleeping rooms because of good location and good rates.”

Meeting planners soon will be able to book the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. When its $275 million facelift is completed this fall, the 1,193-room hotel, closed since Katrina, will double its meeting space to 200,000 square feet.

When in New Orleans, “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” or “Let the good times roll,” by scheduling receptions and other events at some of the city’s more distinctive venues, such as Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, where colorful floats are created for the annual Mardi Gras parade. The facility also rents out Grand Oaks Mansion, a replica of an antebellum mansion.

Allow yourself and your attendees some free time to explore the Riverwalk Marketplace and the historic 100-block French Quarter, the city’s premier arts, entertainment and shopping district. It’s also the place to experience the Big Easy’s famous cuisine.

More Travel Tips

• Almost a third of Virginia’s premium golf courses are part of the Virginia Golf Trail, a statewide trail of courses divided into six regions. Get recommendations on golf courses as well as hotels, restaurants, vineyards and other attractions at virginiagolftrail.com.

• Visitors to Nashville, Tenn., can take in free concerts Saturdays from 3-6 p.m. in the West End’s Centennial Park. Musicians Corner concerts take place this year May 7-July 2 and Sept. 3-Nov. 5. Some of the Music City’s best up-and-coming musicians are slated to play this summer. Musicianscornernashville.com has more information.

• Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. It also won the 2010 Liseberg Applause Award, the most prestigious award in the theme park industry honoring a park with inspiring management, operations and creative accomplishments. Plan a visit to see what makes the 150-acre theme park the state’s No. 1 ticketed tourist destination.

________________

Special Places

Learn more about these venues by clicking on the pictures below.

Adventures on the Gorge

Bluff View Art District

Geppi's Museum

Marine Corps Museum

Daytona Beach

“The captain, rearing cautiously in the bow after the dinghy soared on a great swell, said that he had seen the lighthouse at Mosquito Inlet.” That’s a line from “The Open Boat,” a short story by American author Stephen Crane, first published in 1897. Based on his own experience, the story chronicles four men battling the high seas in a dinghy after their ship wrecked and sank. They’re guided to shore by a small, flickering light in the distance, the lighthouse at Mosquito Inlet.

Daytona Beach Marina

That lighthouse still stands today in Ponce Inlet, formerly Mosquito Inlet, Fla., a small oceanfront locale just south of Daytona Beach. The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, the tallest in Florida, is non-operational. It’s now a museum in a tourist section of town, but it reminds visitors of the area’s seafaring past. The 23 miles of beaches and Atlantic Ocean coastline have long served as the reason people visit the Daytona Beach area, most notably when it first became a resort destination in the early 20th century. Daytona’s wide beaches became the test track for automobile and motorcycle racers at that time. In 1936, Daytona Beach hosted the first stock-car race on the beach, and in 1948, the first NASCAR-sanctioned race was held there. Daytona Beach beacme known as “The World’s Most Famous Beach.”

It still sees record numbers of visitors each year for its beaches and high-profile events like NASCAR’s Daytona 500 and Bike Week, but it’s also gaining a reputation as an affordable, accessible beach town for meetings and events. “Every inch of the beach is open to the public,” says Georgia Turner, director of specialized markets at the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Eleven miles of the beach are still open to vehicles. That’s the kind of unfussy, easy-going attitude you find throughout the town.

The National Cheerleading Association has been holding its Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship annually in Daytona Beach for almost 15 years. The event, which draws an estimated 20,000 visitors to town each April, utilizes three of the city’s most notable venues: Ocean Center Daytona Beach, The Peabody Auditorium and Daytona Beach Bandshell.

A few years ago, the Ocean Center convention complex underwent a $76 million expansion that added 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and 30,000 square feet of meeting space, doubling the size of the facility. The expansion was completed in 2009 and the center, which sits on the famous A1A boulevard, is only 400 feet from the beach. Adjacent to the Ocean Center is Peabody Auditorium, a 2,500-seat historic facility with a 4,000-sq.-ft. lobby suitable for receptions. Across A1A and on the beach is Daytona Beach Bandshell, an outdoor amphitheater built in 1937 that serves as the venue for the NCA Championship finals. It accommodates 5,000 people for events.

Daytona Beach begs planners to build in time for recreation during events. Located in Northeast Florida, the weather is mild year-round, allowing for kayaking and parasailing trips even during the winter months. For nature lovers, Tomoka State Park, north of Daytona Beach in the neighboring community of Ormond Beach, is a scenic spot to spend an afternoon. “It’s a great place to get an idea of what real Florida is like,” says Emily Wehr, the park’s ranger, who takes visitors on guided tours through the park. A leisurely hike through the canopied park reminds you how far north you are in Florida. Palm trees that are rampant in tropical South Florida mix with live oaks and slash pines you’d find in Georgia and the Carolinas. The park is also a launching point for kayaking and canoeing in the Tomoka River, a tidal salt march that flows north and empties into the Halifax River. It’s uncommon—but possible—to see an alligator in the water or on the banks of the river.

Planners could also organize water activities like sailing, boat tours, jet skiing and parasailing in Ponce Inlet near the lighthouse. Attendees who would rather stay on land can explore the Marine Science Center with a seabird sanctuary and turtle rehabilitation center. Back in the convention district is Ocean Walk Shoppes at Ocean Walk Village, a dining and entertainment district with restaurants such as Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Johnny Rocket’s.

There are plenty of choices for hotels in the Daytona Beach area, but the best option to be close to the beach and the convention center is the Hilton Daytona Beach Resort, located directly across the street from the Ocean Center. It has 744 guest rooms and 60,000 square feet of meeting space. Other nearby hotels include the Wyndham Ocean Walk Resort, Plaza Resort and Spa, and Fountain Beach Resort.
______
While You’re There
Sail aboard the Eagle Yacht on an instructional charter with Captain Eric West. The 36-ft. yacht sets outs from Adventure Yacht Harbor into the Intracoastal Waterway, where dolphin sightings are common. marinesource.com/eagleyacht

Dine at The Cellar, located in the historic winter home of President Warren G. Harding, which was built in 1907 by his father-in-law. Chef Sam Moggio prepares fine Italian pastas that can be paired with one of the many wines on the handpicked list. thecellarrestaurant.com

Visit the Daytona International Speedway, a Daytona landmark built in 1958 by NASCAR founder William France Sr. that hosts the Daytona 500 race each year. Take a tour of the track and learn about Daytona Beach’s racing history. daytonainternationalspeedway.com

Savor the treats at Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory, a Daytona Beach landmark since 1925. Take a tour of the facility to watch how chocolate truffles, caramels and toffee are made, then enjoy a few samples. angellandphelps.com
_____

TIP: Find Your Shell
The beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel in Southwest Florida provide visitors with some of the best shelling in Florida. Find out some of the shelling activities you can do in the area at fortmyers-sanibel.com/shelling-activities.
_____

Orlando

When most people think of Orlando, the one word that comes to mind is Disney. When planners think of Orlando, the word that comes to mind is space. The city’s facilities can accommodate nearly any size meeting between its convention center and hotel meeting facilities. And yes, Disney resorts have plenty of room for meetings, too.

The focal point of the city’s meetings offerings is in the International Drive district, or “I-Drive,” where visitors find a dining and entertainment center, dozens of hotels and Orange County Convention Center. The OCCC, with 2.1 million square feet of exhibit space, is the country’s second-largest convention center behind Chicago’s McCormick Place. It’s divided into two buildings: The West building, which opened in 1983, has four levels with more than 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space, 49 meeting rooms and 141 breakout rooms; the North/South building has almost 1 million square feet of exhibit space and has a distinctive design with two arched entrances and 80-ft. glass windows. An open-air bridge with moving sidewalks connects the two centers.

Orange County Convention Center

Diane Rosenbaum, CMP, meeting manager for the Oncology Nursing Society, organized a conference in Orlando in November. More than 1,550 attendees flew in for the event. “The airlift is great so it’s easy for attendees to get in and out,” she says. “And it’s nonstop [for many], so nurses don’t have to take more time out of the office for traveling.” The educational event ran for four days with two concurrent meetings: an Institutes of Learning event and an Advanced Practice Nursing session. The welcome reception, keynote address and education sessions took place at the convention center, and all ancillary events happened at The Peabody Orlando next door.

Last year, The Peabody unveiled a major expansion, bringing its total meeting space to 300,000 square feet and room count to 1,641. The expansion came with a hefty price tag—$450 million—but the investment is evident in the hotel’s sparkling marble floors, creative lighting fixtures and immense meeting rooms. Even the hallways outside the meeting facilities are wide and tall, allowing for large pre-function receptions outside the ballrooms. “The Peabody is absolutely beautiful,” says Rosenbaum. “It reminds me of the hotels in Las Vegas. You can tell it’s a new hotel because most hotels don’t have that space inside them,” she says.

Some guests at the nursing conference opted to stay at nearby Rosen Plaza Hotel or the Rosen Centre Hotel, two of four hotels in the Rosen Hotels and Resorts collection in Orlando. The Peabody and Rosen Hotels contribute to the I-Drive area’s impressive 9,100 guest rooms within walking distance of the convention center. The entire Orlando area has more than 115,000 rooms.

Orlando is known for its theme parks, and the I-Drive area has a few of them in close driving distance to its hotels, including SeaWorld Orlando, Aqautica SeaWorld’s Waterpark, Wet ‘n Wild and Discovery Cove, which opens a new attraction, The Grand Reef, in June. Also nearby are Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, both at Universal Studios Resort. Last year was a stellar year for Universal with the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Islands of Adventure Park. Readers of Theme Park Insider voted the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride as the best theme park ride to open last year, and the best theme park ride in America.

There’s always options for planners to spread out at Walt Disney World Resort, with its ample selection of hotels, four theme parks, two water parks and special event venues. New to the resort this year is the Star Wars 3-D attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, scheduled to open in May.

_____
While You’re There
Visit the Hilton Orlando as a possible spot for your next meeting or event. The contemporary hotel discreetly separates leisure guests from meeting guests who have their own wing with 175,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel is connected to the Orange County Convention Center by a covered, open-air walkway. thehiltonorlando.com

Dine at Mojo Cajun Bar and Grill in downtown Orlando, a New Orleans-themed restaurant and bar that opened late last year. Try the raw bar and one of the restaurant’s specialty frozen cocktails. mojocajunbarandgrill.com

Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure. The true-to-book attraction opened last summer and has been packed with visitors—both fans of the boy wizard and not—who are impressed by its quality and rides. universalorlando.com/harrypotter

Network at Rocks, a bar in the new tower of The Peabody Hotel. The sophisticated cocktail lounge overlooks International Drive, features live music nightly, and has 6,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. peabodyorlando.com
_____

TIP: Get a Disney Deal
Planners booking new meetings at either Walt Disney World’s Disney Yacht and Beach Club or Disney’s Coronado Springs resorts through Dec. 15, 2011, receive free park admission after 4 p.m. and a $25 Disney Dining card for each room or attendee. The meeting must be booked by Aug. 31, and certain dates are not eligible. A two-night minimum stay is required, and a minimum of 100 rooms must be occupied on peak night.
_____

Pensacola

In the westernmost corner of the Florida Panhandle is Pensacola, a smaller resort destination of somewhere around 50,000 people. During the BP oil spill last summer, the city struggled to convince potential visitors that the beaches were clear and Pensacola was open for business. In November, numbers were released showing that the county’s year-over-year revenues decreased 5 percent from 2009, which is a victory, according to tourism officials. “The year was off to a strong start, and we were looking for one of the best years for tourism,” said Ed Schroeder, vice president of tourism development at Visit Pensacola, in a statement. “October [2009] through May [2010], lodging revenues were up almost 5 percent over 2009, and we had every reason to be optimistic that trend would continue. Unfortunately, the oil spill blunted that momentum.”

A Blue Angels aerial show

But faith in the city has returned, and Pensacola’s bracing for a busy summer. Two major industries make up the majority of the city’s business: tourism and the Navy. The city is home to a United States Naval Air Station (the first in the country) and the Blue Angels. That naval history draws a number of military associations to the area each year for meetings and events.

The other thing that’s attractive to meeting planners is, of course, the beach. Many meeting attendees turn trips to the Gulf Coast region into vacations for their families. But seasoned planners know that the beach can be a detriment to session attendance. (What’s the big deal if we skip just one afternoon session for the beach?) The Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand Hotel has a solution for that. Located in historic downtown Pensacola, which sits inland along the Pensacola Bay, it’s the biggest hotel in the area and hosts a number of meetings each year. It’s a few miles from Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key, the beachside destinations that have ocean-view hotel and meeting rooms.

Della Scott-Ireton and a team of planners scheduled the Florida Anthropological Society’s annual meeting at the Grand hotel last May. “It’s not on the beach, and I understand some of those hotels [on the coast] are opening conference facilities, but the Grand is in a restored historic railroad depot,” says Scott-Ireton, a member of the Pensacola Archaeological Society. FAS is a statewide society of people who are interested in archaeology and anthropology, including working professionals, professors, university students and more. Each year, the event is hosted in one of about 15 different chapter cities around the state. Last year, it was Pensacola’s turn, and Scott-Ireton, an archaeologist, jumped in to help organize it. “It’s kind of an interesting experience because it’s a bunch of people who don’t plan conferences for a living,” she says. “I was merely one of the team.”

She and her team worked hard to market the advantages of a meeting in Pensacola, and almost 300 people made the trek to town, “which is good for FAS because Pensacola’s at the end of the Panhandle and it’s not as easy to get to,” she says. “We’re at the end of the line.”

FAS attendees are a combination of drive-in and fly-in groups, and the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport makes it easy for those who fly from cities farther across the state. “It just underwent a sizeable renovation and remodeling and extended the concourse and ticket areas,” says Scott-Ireton. “It’s really easy to get in and out.”

Conference events took place at the Grand Hotel except for the opening Friday night reception, which was held at a museum in Historic Pensacola Village, a two-block section of downtown with restaurants, cultural centers, museums and art galleries. It’s operated by West Florida Historic Preservation Inc. and has a number of venues that work for small off-site events.

For planners who want to be closer to the beach, the city has Pensacola Beach Conference Campus, an area with a total of 928 hotel rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space. The headquarter hotel is the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, which has 276 rooms. Nearby hotels include the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Resort. The new Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Beach Hotel has 162 rooms and is a 15-minute walk from the Hilton. It opened last June and sticks to Buffet’s laid-back, kick-off-your-flip-flops attitude.

_____
While You’re There
Dine at Frank and Lola Love Pensacola Cafe at Margaritaville Beach Hotel. Named after Jimmy Buffet’s 1982 song “Frank and Lola,” the indoor/outdoor restaurant has a menu of steaks of seafood—and of course island-inspired cocktails. margaritavillehotel.com

Take a ride with Pensacola Trolley Tours, 75-minute narrated tours of the city on replica 1880s streetcars. The tour takes visitors to all the major historic districts and explains why Pensacola’s called the “City of Five Flags.” pensacolatrolleytours.com

See a Blue Angels practice session behind the Naval Aviation Museum. When the angels are home, they hold practice sessions, mostly on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings around 8:30 a.m. The sessions are free, but call in advance to make sure the show isn’t on the road. blueangels.navy.mil

Set out aboard an Aquatic Charters boat for a two-hour dolphin cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s likely you’ll see bottlenose dolphins, but you also may catch a glimpse of leatherback turtles, manta rays and pelicans. chase-n-fins.com
_____

TIP: Grab a Paddle
Santa Rosa County in Northwest Florida is considered the canoe capital of the world, thanks in large part to the Blackwater River State Forest. Located about 40 minutes from Navarre Beach, the park has a number of calm, inland rivers that make it suitable for beginner canoe trips. floridabeachestorivers.com
_____

St. Augustine

It’s Florida’s oldest city and has one of the state’s most picturesque downtowns. If you’ve been to other cities in Florida, the first thing you’ll notice about St. Augustine is that it doesn’t look like the rest. Sure, there are hints of Florida here and there—sunny beaches along the Atlantic coast, palm trees huddled together on street corners—but the overall impression the city leaves is one of history, influenced by its Spanish ancestry. The area was first explored by Ponce de Leon (the one who claimed to find the Fountain of Youth, and there’s a tourist attraction in town celebrating the rumored story), but the town was officially founded in 1565 by Spanish admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles.

St. Augustine remained under Spanish control for most of its early history until ceded to the United States in 1822. Early Spanish Colonial architecture is still evident throughout the city in churches, museums and hotels with their red tiled roofs, smooth stucco walls and canvased awnings. The tycoon and railroad developer Henry Flagler settled in the area in 1885, contributing a building boom of his own to the city, choosing Spanish Colonial Revival-style architecture as a nod to the city’s past.

Some of those historic buildings provide a setting for meetings and events. The Lightner Museum was built in 1887 at Hotel Alcazar, commissioned by Flagler to appeal to wealthy tourists who traveled there on his railroad from the north. Today it’s a popular event and wedding venue. The third-floor gallery of the museum has a circular flow that’s perfect for cocktail receptions. It’s open to a courtyard below, which was once a swimming bath at the Alcazar.

Across the street is the historic Casa Monica Hotel. Built in 1888, it was restored in 1999 and adopted a classic Moroccan style. It has 138 guest rooms, an award-winning restaurant, and 12,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, including the 3,000-sq.-ft. Casa Monica Ballroom. The Sultan’s Pavilion is a 1,500-sq.-ft. event space overlooking the pool deck and gardens. The pavilion holds up to 100 people.

The historic Bayfront Hilton

Another hotel in the historic district is the Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront, which has 72 rooms and more than 2,000 square feet of meeting space. That’s where Marta Miller, program assistant at the University of Florida Continuing Dental Education Department, held a dental pharmacology continuing education event in September for 30 dentists and their families. Miller plans a number of events each year—up to 11 a month—and most of them take place in Gainesville, where the university is located. But when UF has home football games during the fall, she organizes events in other Florida cities for dentists who need to take educational courses.

“We were thinking about different places, and St. Augustine is such a nice place and a lot of people had never been there before,” says Miller. “It was really easy for our speaker to get to Jacksonville and drive down to St. Augustine,” she says. In fact, that’s the way most people get to St. Augustine; it’s about a 35- to 40-minute drive from the Jacksonville airport.

“St. Augustine has such a character,” says Miller. “When I look at locations, I also want my participants’ families to come and enjoy themselves. There was a lot to do for the family. They have the ocean right there, and they have cute little shopping in town.

“I have to say it was a wonderful experience and Krisiti made it so much easier,” says Miller, referring to Kristi Hansman, conference sales manager at the St. Augustine VCB, who gave the group a number of recommendations of things to do for dining and entertainment. “We had a lot of people that did a ghost tour [and] went shopping. They went to the [nation’s] first school house. They got to do the tourist thing also, and they really enjoyed that.”

_____
While You’re There
Tour the city with Old Town Trolley Tours to learn its history with a narrated guide. It takes you past notable stops including the Castillo de San Marcos fort, Fountain of Youth and Flagler College. trolleytours.com/st-augustine

Dine at Pizzalley’s Chianti Room, a family-owned pizzeria that can hold groups of up to 80 people. Order a pizza, a bottle of wine and a traditional Italian coffee to end a busy day of events in St. Augustine. pizzalleyschiantiroom.com

Visit the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club to consider it for a special executive retreat or getaway. The 250-room, historic resort was built in 1928 on 300 acres of beachfront property. The five-diamond property sits on a pristine, private beach and has its own restaurants and spa. pontevedra.com

Stay at Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine’s downtown historic preservation district. The hotel is beautiful inside and out and inspires visitors with its Moroccan theme. Try the Mediterranean-inspired calamari at Cordova 95, the hotel’s restaurant that has three private dining rooms. casamonica.com
_____

Tampa

There’s a lot to like about Tampa, the bay city on Florida’s west coast that more than 4 million people in the metro area call home. Its big-city attributes include a number of sizeable meeting hotels, a large convention center, an international airport and professional sports teams. But it also has qualities of a small town, namely its hospitality and surprisingly walkable convention area.

“The Tampa CVB was outstanding to work with,” says Susan Owens with 21st Century Ventures. She organized an annual training event for the University of Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute last March. “If I needed something, I placed a phone call to [the CVB] and it got done. They gave me choices of things to do and places to go,” she says.

The annual weeklong training event takes place in destinations across the country every other year and returns to Maryland every odd year. Owens says the Tampa event was such a hit with the 80 fire chiefs and directors who attended, she’s worried about not living up to expectations at this year’s event.

“We got very lucky,” admits Owens. “The pricing became very competitive…we’re looking for a place that’s comfortable; they stay typically in Clarions,

Tampa's convention center sits right on the bay.

Holiday Inns, Marriotts.” But because of the timing, Owens was able to schedule the event at the Renaissance Tampa International Plaza Hotel, located in Tampa’s Westshore business district. It has 15 meeting rooms and 12,500 square feet of meeting space, which was plenty for the group. It’s near shopping, dining and entertainment at International Plaza and Bay Street.

The hotel’s location couldn’t have been better. It’s right near the airport and Tampa’s main firehouse, which the group coordinated activities with during the event. It’s also in close distance to the George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training facility for the New York Yankees. The CVB helped organize a private off-site event for the group at the field during one of the spring games. “The response from the guys was great,” says Owens. “It costs some money to come to this thing, so it was nice just to be able to put something together and have it be memorable for them.”

Owens’ group stayed in the Westshore district, but the other main meetings district sits right on the bay. That’s where the Tampa Convention Center is located. It has 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 36,000-sq.-ft ballroom and views of the bay. Hotels near the center include the Embassy Suites Tampa Downtown Convention Center, Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina, Hyatt Regency Tampa and the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel.

Nearby is Ybor City, a historic district founded by cigar makers in the 1880s. The area is now an entertainment district with international restaurants including Columbia Restaurant, a family-owned Tampa mainstay that can accommodate up to 200 guests for Cuban food, live music and its famous flamenco dancing.

A few new arrivals land in Tampa this spring. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opens A New Breed of Speed, an attraction with a Cheetah Hunt rollercoaster that launches rides from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds. Tampa Museum of Art opens the “Degas: Form, Movement and the Antique” exhibit in March. It includes the French artist’s bronze sculptures, paintings and drawings. Dinosaur World, another Tampa attraction, is expanding by 12 acres with a new 22,000-sq.-ft. building housing an indoor Prehistoric Museum. The renovations also include the addition of a dinosaur playground and picnic area. The expansion opens in the fall.

_____
While You’re There
Tour historic Ybor City on a self-guided walking tour. You can spend a morning or afternoon discovering the famed cigar town on your own schedule. ybormuseum.org/visit-the-museum/walking-tour

Try the Columbia Café on the Riverwalk. It opened in February 2009, and is part of the Gonzmart Family of Columbia Restaurants, owned and operated by 4th- and 5th-generation family members that own the city’s well-known Columbia Restaurant. columbiarestaurant.com/cafe

Stroll the Tampa Riverwalk on the Tampa Bay waterfront. It’s lined with hotels, meetings venues, restaurants, green spaces, museums and parks, and has a water taxi to transfer you back and forth. thetampariverwalk.com

Visit nearby St. Petersburg’s The Dali Museum, which relocated to its new building in January. The striking museum houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by the late Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali. The Michelin Guide gave the museum the only three-star rating on Florida’s west coast. thedali.org
_____

TIP: Fill the GAP
The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB has a new online service to help planners market their events: GAP, for Group Attendance Push. They can download a free e-mail template and banner ad, and customize them for their events scheduled in the area. paradisecoast.com/gap
_____

Click here for more Florida activities and venues.
_____

Special Places
Learn more about these Florida venues by clicking on the pictures below.

Omni ChampionsGate in Kissimmee, Fla.

Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Fla.

Ponte Vedra, Northeast Florida

Palm Beaches

If all America’s Mountain West had to offer was snow-capped peaks, mountain resorts, safe cities and seemingly endless options for outdoor fun, Colorado, Utah and Idaho could draw meetings aplenty. But these three states bring much more to the table for planners and attendees, whether it’s elegant dining in Billings or the chance to cheer on baseball’s Rockies at Denver’s Coors Field. The high country is no stranger to high tech either, offering IACC-certified conference centers and multi-faceted convention venues like the Salt Palace and Boise Centre. And when it comes to teambuilding, it’s hard to argue that the natural attractions the Rocky Mountain area holds—rafting the Snake River or cross-country skiing in Aspen’s peaceful backcountry—give it an advantage over other regions.

Billings, Montana

While the “Big Sky Country” concept might seem odd for those who’ve yet to meet in Montana’s largest city (population 101,000), the idea quickly makes sense on arrival. On a clear day (of which there are many, thanks to the city’s clean air and low humidity) the 360-degree views are dazzling, from Billings’ famed Rimrocks, which are beautiful sandstone cliffs and rock formations, to the half-dozen rugged mountain ranges surrounding town.

The natural beauty in the heart of Billings, Mont., makes it a hit for meetings.

“We get every type of group coming here because there are so many things to see and do,” says Tom Krause, sales manager for the Billings CVB. “We tout ourselves as the ‘come early, stay late city.’ In winter we’ve got skiing, snowmobiling and ice-climbing; in summer, there’s rafting and fishing. The Yellowstone River runs right through the city and we’re very close [2.5 hours] from Yellowstone National Park itself.”

While Krause’s job is made easier by Billings’ natural assets, the city also features plenty of the selling points that work in favor of a planner. Billings offers some 4,300 guest rooms distributed among more than two dozen hotels in a range of price points, many with ample meeting and exhibit space. Downtown in particular is a hit with groups, as attendees can easily walk among the shops, restaurants, museums and nightspots that make up the city core.

When the National Association of Counties met here in May 2010, Amanda Clark, CMP, manager of conference and meetings, was confident that her group would bond with Billings. “It’s an easy destination to reach, whether driving or flying, and reasonably priced,” says Clark. “Our folks like to be able to walk to places and I was pleased with how much there was to do in and around downtown.” To wit, Clark cites a pair of special events that enhanced the experience: a large get-together at Billings’ MetraPark fairgrounds and a more intimate board function at the Yellowstone Art Museum, built originally as the county jail.

Boise, Idaho

If Idaho’s largest city leaves new visitors with anything, it’s usually a terrific first impression. “We constantly surprise people,” says Terry Kopp, Boise CVB director of sales. She says visitors like the state capital for its consistent, high-plains climate (dry, and warmer than the Midwest and Northeast) and quality of life. “We have a lot of corporate headquarters here, and that brings lots of nice amenities: major airlines and good flights, good restaurants, a great arts community, and the Greenbelt, a 25-mile path that runs right through the city along the Boise River,” she says. “People come here and say, ‘Gee I think I could live here,’ and that kind of sums up why people want to meet here as well.”

Boise's vibrant downtown sells itself on site visits.

Kopp points to one attendee she met in town for the recent Go West Summit of international tour operators. “This woman said, ‘Boise is such a surprise to me, not at all what I expected, really pleasant,’” says Kopp. “Our biggest challenge, then, is getting planners to come for a site visit. Once they do, the city sells itself.”

A good starting point: the Boise Centre, downtown’s meeting centerpiece abutting Grove Plaza, within a short stroll of 1,000 hotel rooms and highlighted by a 25,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and 375-seat auditorium. The city is also home to a wide spectrum of museums, where the focuses range from sports, Basque culture and black history to human rights and birds of prey, and where groups can often do both tours and special events.

The city’s efforts at sustainability also go hand-in-hand with its emphasis on the outdoors and recreation. Golf begins in March, with the whitewater rafting season (on the Payette River) following shortly thereafter. Leisurely pursuits like jogging, cycling along the Greenbelt or floating along the Boise River, can be done right in the center of town.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

For anyone wondering why Colorado’s second-largest city might work for a group, Kathy Reak provides some nuts and bolts. “We have all the amenities of a first-tier destination but with second-tier pricing, and that makes us very affordable,” says Reak, director of convention sales for the Colorado Springs CVB. Another plus: “A very relaxed and beautiful setting—the scenery here is phenomenal,” she says. Indeed, there’s a lot to like about meeting in the heart of the state’s Pikes Peak region, awash in both natural beauty (e.g., Manitou Mineral Springs, the Cave of the Winds, and 14,110-ft. Pikes Peak) and colorful history. Colorado’s gold rush began here in 1858 and nearby Cripple Creek, once home to the region’s biggest mine, is now a National Historic Landmark.

“We have over 50 attractions and the neat thing is that many of these activities are free,” adds Reak. The list is long and led by the Air Force Academy, U.S. Olympic Training Center and Colorado Springs famed Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, also a terrific special event venue. Outdoor enthusiasts find no shortage of treats in and around the city, with group activities that range from hiking, spelunking and cycling to climbing at the city’s new CityRock climbing gym. Planners can count on easy access (via Colorado Springs Airport) and a wide choice of meeting sites, which include familiar economy and mid-level hotels and boutiques (the newest, Wyndham Grand’s 135-room Mining Exchange Hotel, set to open this summer) as well as all-encompassing properties such as the 740-room Broadmoor Hotel and new 300-room Renaissance Colorado Springs Hotel, Spa and Conference Center, which 185,000 and 50,000 square feet of meeting space respectively.

For Abby Tammen, CMP, Colorado Springs proved just right for her recent National Association of College Auxiliary Services education conference. “I liked the ease in and out of the city as well as the services and amenities provided by the Broadmoor,” says the group’s associate executive director. “The CVB also has a fantastic website, so it was easy for our attendees to realize what they could do pre- and post-[event] and book those activities themselves.”

Denver, Colorado

In keeping with its history as a crossroad of the American West, Colorado’s capital city continues to bring a vibrant mix of people, places and activities to the meetings table.

“Meeting planner surveys tell us that accessibility, facilities and affordability rank as their top concerns, and we really excel in those areas,” says Richard Scharf, president and CEO at the Denver Metro CVB. That mix is further enhanced, he says, by Denver’s customer service and destination appeal, as well as the steps his city has taken in terms of development and sustainability. “We have the fourth-busiest airport in the U.S. and are adding a new component to it—our light rail system from downtown—by the end of 2015,” he says. Scharf also points to the city’s hospitality boom; downtown has more than 8,400 hotel rooms. Large properties downtown include the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center with 1,100 rooms and more than 60,000 square feet of meeting space; Four Seasons Hotel Denver, an upscale urban hotel with 239 rooms and a 5,200-sq.-ft. grand ballroom; and Hilton Garden Inn Denver Downtown, with 6,800 square feet of event and meeting space and a high-tech audiovisual system.

Denver’s fast-growing urban core has also affected how visiting groups view their time in town. Witness downtown’s free-spirited 16th Street Mall, an attendee favorite for its cafes, shops, restaurants and entertainment venues, all of which are walkable from the convention center. “We’ve got a lot of offerings right here in the city that are easy to get to—great restaurants, museums and sports facilities—and have gotten the word out about them” says Scharf. Then again, it’s just a quick trip to both the lively college town of Boulder and all the outdoor group adventures that lie in the nearby Front Range.

Architects consulted with more than 100 meeting planners during the design phase of the Colorado Convention Center.

When the American Academy of Family Physicians brought 10,000 attendees to Denver for its annual scientific assembly last October, the city “gave us all the things we wanted: a convention center that had excellent size, hotels within walking distance to it and a vibrant downtown with plenty of restaurants and entertainment for people to take advantage of,” says Tom Pellet, divisional director of meetings and conventions. “We’ve already booked for 2015.”

AAFP isn’t alone in its love for the city. Denver experienced its second-best convention and meetings year in history in 2010. The city hosted 75 conventions, 423 meetings and more than 370,000 delegates who made an economic impact of $653 million.

_____

TIP: Take Time to Adjust
Destinations like Denver and Colorado Springs sit up a mile or higher. Remind attendees that their sea-level constitutions need time to adjust. Keep strenuous exercise and alcohol at a minimum (at least for the first day) while drinking plenty of water and wearing ample sun screen.
_____

Salt Lake City, Utah

It’s surely a sign of the times when the city Brigham Young founded more than 150 years back now touts downtown’s “140 bars, pubs and restaurants” on its CVB website. Indeed, since the state’s rigid liquor laws were loosened about two years ago, Salt Lake has become, by design, a hipper and more open place for attendees to hang out once their meetings adjourn.

“We’ve doubled the number of restaurants and nightspots in downtown in the last few years,” says Mark H. White, vice president of sales for the Salt Lake City CVB, adding that the city is now “big enough and vibrant enough to have good restaurants and museums but still small enough to be safe and clean.” That balance of being a big city with a small-town feel goes to the heart of what the CVB and Salt Lake’s hospitality community share as goals.  “We try to focus on those groups that we know that we can accommodate,” says White. “We also try to articulate a real sense of place for groups, that we can add something to the feeling of a meeting just by being here.”

The Salt Palace Convention Center, a LEED Silver building

That said, while White isn’t wooing those citywides better suited to Orlando or Las Vegas, space is certainly plentiful in Salt Lake. The Salt Palace Convention Center anchors the city’s reinvigorated downtown with the 20,500-seat EnergySolutions Arena and several meetings properties close by. The South Towne Exposition Center, with nine meeting rooms and 243,000 square feet of exhibit space, offers an alternative meeting option set 16 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport.

Salt Lake City is also home to a wealth of museums and cultural institutions, many associated with the Church of Latter Day Saints (and free to the public) and set in and around historic Temple Square. The city’s Gateway District is home to the Clark Planetarium, while nearby the University of Utah houses museums of fine arts and natural history. Utah Olympic Park is an easy day trip and ideal for teambuilding and picnics. A trip to Utah’s spectacular National Parks—Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches among them—is also an option for daytime off-site trips.

_____

TIP: Explore the Past
Few destinations are as rooted in and dedicated to their past as Salt Lake City, which has several major attractions that revolve around the history of the Mormon Church and its research into genealogy. The church’s FamilySearch Center and Family History Library are free to the public, and attendees would be wise to build in extra pre- and post-meeting time to spend a little time at the venues.
_____

Special Places
Learn more about these Mountain West attractions by clicking on the pictures below.

Big Sky Resort

Cheyenne Mountain Resort

You’d be right if the usual suspects came to mind—cowboys, outlaws, Native Americans, oil barons, gridiron heroes—when someone mentions Texas. Their legacy lives on, but the state offers so much more. Diversity in heritage, culture, landscapes, lifestyles and business make the Lone Star State what it is today. While San Antonio and El Paso share Hispanic influence, they are separated by vast geography and different regional vibes. Beaumont and Galveston are located along the Gulf Coast, but the Cajun culture of the former is wholly unlike the mellowed grandeur of the latter. And the suburban sensibility of Plano is another world entirely. These disparate parts contribute equally to the hybrid glory of modern Texas.

San Antonio

San Antonio is one of America’s cultural gems, world-renowned for its Spanish Colonial architecture, hallowed history, vibrant traditions and top-tier attractions like the Alamo and the River Walk. This year, Texans celebrate the 175th anniversary of independence from Mexico and the fight for freedom that took center stage at the Alamo on March 6, 1836. The tragic events of that day rallied the Texas revolutionaries and helped shape the state’s resolute destiny and character, commemorated this year in anniversary events across the state and city.

The Alamo in San Antonio

Another reason to visit San Antonio soon is to experience the new expansion of the River Walk. The Museum Reach section opened in 2009 and extends the walking trail about a mile and a half north of downtown to the San Antonio Museum of Art, Pearl Brewery complex, Brackenridge Park and the Witte Museum. This noncommercial stretch is beautifully landscaped with native plants and public art installations, offering visitors and residents alike a tranquil alternative to the bustling tourist restaurants and nightlife of the old River Walk. In late 2010, the first part of the Mission Reach section opened, which will eventually be a hike-and-bike trail connecting the four historic Spanish missions south of downtown with the city center. The entire River Walk will stretch 15 miles by 2014.

In addition to attractions, meeting professionals love San Antonio for its unique combination of culture, convenience and compactness. From humble beginnings as a Spanish colony founded in 1718, San Antonio now has a population of about 1.4 million, making it the second-largest city in Texas and seventh-largest in the country. Downtown contains more than 12,700 guest rooms within walking distance of the Alamo, River Walk, Market Square, the main plaza, Mexican restaurants and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, which has 630,000 square feet of meeting space and almost 440,000 square feet of exhibit space. Three ballrooms are available, as well as the 2,400-seat Lila Cockrell Theatre and 63 breakout rooms.

Lenore Taffel, director of events for the Professional Photographers of America, has taken full advantage of these resources. The PPA first held its annual Imaging USA conference here in 2007, and came back for the 2011 meeting in January. Taffel says, “There are not a lot of centers across the U.S. that can accommodate the way we run our meetings,” which includes the ability to have six rooms simultaneously containing 1,000 people each. The PPA used the theater, meeting spaces, two exhibit halls, a bridge hall for an exhibition and surrounding hotel spaces for pre-conference workshops.

Taffel says attendees, who are all photographers, love the photogenic beauty of the city, while she appreciates its hospitality and staff. “I would recommend [the conference center] wholeheartedly. It’s not just a building because a building is just concrete walls and building blocks. It’s the city and the whole temperament of the workers at the convention and visitors bureau. The people that run the convention center are the most exemplary, hospitality-minded people that we’ve run into in a long, long time. This city just goes the extra mile every time we’ve been there. We’ve already signed a contract for 2015.”

_____

TIP: See It First
The Alamo is one of San Antonio’s most popular attractions, but how much do you really know about the battle? Schedule a visit to see “Alamo: The Price of Freedom,” an IMAX docudrama, at Rivercenter mall just a block from the actual battle site.
_____

Beaumont

Located on the Gulf Coast near the Louisiana border, Beaumont has a history linked to bayous and oil. In 1901 in nearby Spindletop, one of the world’s great oil discoveries transformed Beaumont from a small-but-significant timber and rice town into a boomtown that led the way for petroleum production in Texas. The legacy of that oil prosperity can be seen today in such grand structures as the Neoclassical McFaddin-Ward House or the historic structures that comprise the Crockett Street entertainment district.

A mid-sized city of about 100,000 people, Beaumont is experiencing a cultural boom again. Visitors flock for the historic architecture, fine dining, lively nightlife and an unusually high concentration of quality museums—including the Texas Energy Museum, Spindletop/Gladys City Boomtown Museum, Fire Museum of Texas and the Art Museum of Southeast Texas. Cajun culture entices with spicy cuisine, high-energy Zydeco music and colorful festivals, while the great outdoors provides ample water-recreation adventures in gator country.

Beaumont’s largest conference facility is the Ford Park Event Center which, on May 5, will be the site of the fourth annual LiveWell Women’s Conference sponsored by local CHRISTUS Hospital. The one-day conference attracts about 2,000 women, mostly from the region, though it is now becoming a tourist draw that attracts people from Houston, Louisiana and beyond. That is sure to be the case this year with Hilary Swank as the keynote speaker and about 25 breakout sessions on topics ranging from leadership to health to financial management, spirituality and fashion. There will also be cooking demonstrations and a fitness arena with classes throughout the day.

The McFaddin-Ward House in Beaumont

Marketing and Events Coordinator Becky Howard has seen the conference grow from the start. The first year was at the MGM Elegante, which is still the host hotel. “Max attendance was going to be 500, but 600 attendees packed in,” Howard recalls. “The next year it was at the Beaumont Civic Center Complex and, again, we sold out in 10 days. We moved to Ford Park, and we’re excited this year that we should be able to stay at the same place for a while.”

The Ford Park Event Center has a 48,000-sq.-ft. exhibit hall, eight meeting rooms, a 9,500-seat arena and a VIP lounge. Combined with the arena, there’s 95,000 square feet of floor space. “We have plenty of parking and a Houston pedicab company that escorts people on bicycle rickshaws from their cars,” says Howard. “As it’s getting bigger, it became important to have nearby hotels, and the Ford Park is not even two miles from what we call hotel alley,” an area of town with a number of hotels.

_____

TIP: Go Online
Many destinations have resources for planners on their websites, but Beaumont’s site is an inclusive, one-stop shop for planners. Planners can search for third-party service providers, group-friendly restaurants, off-site meeting venues and attractions. You can also submit an RFP simply by clicking on the bobblehead of Freddie Willard, the director of sales.
_____

Plano

In the late 1970s and ’80s, the popular television series “Dallas” reinforced the stereotypes of Texans the world over. Right or wrong, J.R. Ewing et al came to represent the popular notion of Texas excess—big oil and ranching money, brash attitudes and outsized personalities. The setting for this melodrama took place at the real-life Southfork Ranch in Plano.

Plano's hot air balloon festival

The reality of Plano is much more ordinary. The Dallas suburb began as a rural agricultural community with origins dating back to the 1840s. In 1960, the population was less than 4,000, but it exploded in subsequent decades as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex expanded. Plano’s population is currently estimated at around 300,000, making it the ninth-largest city in the state. It is now known for outstanding shopping and dining establishments, a hot air balloon festival and a penchant for ending up on “best-places-to-live” lists. But small-town agricultural roots are still evident in the historic downtown and the Heritage Farmstead Museum—a living history property that features an 1891 Victorian farmhouse.

All of these assets appeal to Joe Condrill, President of Overseas Brats, a national association of former military dependents and overseas dependents. The organization has an annual homecoming event that rotates around the country, but often takes place in Texas since the largest percentage of its membership lives there. In 2009, Condrill was considering Plano, a city he was already familiar with that met his criteria of not being a first-tier city, but being near one. “They have a wonderful downtown area that is walkable, safe and says something about Texas history,” he states. “And you’re not competing with the major downtown properties like in Dallas.” It also helps that one of the busiest airports in the world—Dallas-Fort Worth International—is less than 30 miles away and connected by shuttle service.

When searching for a single property for the event with lodging for attendees, Condrill knew he had found his city when he received a surprise in the mail. Kay Summerville with the Plano CVB was a former business associate who wrote him a personal letter, rather than the standardized cover letter and marketing folder. “Kay actually wrote me a letter that I still have today that walked me through how it would work for us,” he recalls. “I had never seen a letter proposal like that before. That was how business was done back before the 1970s and 1980s when things became computerized and standardized for what kinds of letters you sent to which kinds of clients.”

That personal attention continued after Condrill selected the Southfork Hotel as his facility. The space was actually small for the event—17,000 square feet of meeting space for up to 600 attendees—but the hotel and Summerville worked to reconfigure it specifically for the event. An old disco hall was perfect for this group, and a tour and reception at the Southfork Ranch, a sister property, were included. Condrill fondly recalls that staff even put up Christmas decorations throughout the hotel—in October—to accommodate the out-of-season theme. It was another gesture that left a lasting impression.

_____

TIP: Join the Fun
This year marks the 175th anniversary of Texas’ independence from Mexico. Cities across the state are celebrating with events that include battle reenactments, living history exhibits and educational symposiums. Find out what’s happening at txindependence175.org.
_____

Galveston

Few places embody the spirit of Texas tenacity like Galveston. Galveston rose to national prominence in the 19th century, at one time becoming the largest city in Texas due to its port, where cotton shipped out and immigrants poured in. But all that changed with the Great Storm of 1900. The city was submerged and more than 6,000 people were killed by a hurricane, the worst natural disaster the U.S. had faced. In the aftermath, the Houston ship channel was constructed, and that inland city became the state’s major commercial center.

Galveston residents raised the entire city by eight feet and constructed a 17-foot seawall to protect against future storms. During Prohibition, Galveston experienced a comeback as a lawless hub for drinking, gambling and prostitution. That mini-boom lasted until the mid-1950s, when the Texas Rangers finally put an end to those activities. Since the1980s, Galveston has focused on tourism, capitalizing on its colorful history, grand architecture and beaches.

Galveston's 28,000-sq.-ft. Moody Mansion can be rented out for special events and receptions.

In 2008, Hurricane Ike flooded Galveston again. More than two years later, it is estimated that at least 20 percent of the population of 58,000 did not return. Some historic buildings were seriously damaged or destroyed, and salt water killed about 40,000 trees. The city has mostly rebuilt and recovered, and its major attractions—including the Strand historic district, the 1859 Ashton Villa, 1892 Bishop’s Palace, tall ship Elissa, Moody Gardens tourist complex and Schlitterbahn waterpark—are open for business.

The Texas Travel Industry Association hosted its annual travel summit on the island in 2010. The two-story, 140,000-sq.-ft. Galveston Island Convention Center at The San Luis Resort hosted the conference. The 43,100-sq.-ft. exhibition hall held a trade show and banquet, and the grand ballroom hosted the opening reception, general sessions and luncheons. Breakout sessions were held in several rooms comprising 12,000 square feet of breakout meeting space, and registration and continental breakfasts were in the 29,000 square feet of pre-function space.

TTIA’s membership is statewide, so the annual conference rotates around the state each year. “We often meet in the larger cities, but our members really enjoy coming to the Texas coast for meetings when we can,” says Director of Events Jennifer Roush. “We were scheduled to have the conference in 2008, but because of the hurricane we had to cancel. Fortunately, we were able to reschedule and host our event in Galveston in 2010.”

She was appreciative of the conveniently placed convention center, the hospitality of staff and the proximity of more than 2,000 guest rooms within two miles (TTIA’s host hotels were Moody Gardens Resort and The San Luis Resort). “The convention center staff was wonderful and made my job easier,” Roush recalls. “They have a great team in Galveston that worked together to make our event a great success.”

_____

TIP: Grab a Mask
Each year, Galveston hosts Texas’ largest Mardi Gras party at the beginning of March. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the event, which includes 12 days of concerts, parades and masked balls. If you’re meeting there, it’s best to plan around the popular event.
_____

El Paso

El Paso’s reputation has long been staked as a Wild West border town. People have always been drawn to the dusty outpost in the northern Chihuahuan Desert as a gateway to its Mexican sister city, Ciudad Juarez, but people don’t head south to Mexico anymore. El Paso has redefined itself as a growing destination with massive scale construction projects throughout the city. Fueling the boom are the expansions of U.S. Army base Fort Bliss and Texas Tech University medical school, as well as the new El Paso Children’s Hospital and the revitalization of the historic downtown. The population is rapidly approaching 800,000.

The buzz throughout the city is palpable, both literally and figuratively. Residents are excited and hopeful about the upswing in business and opportunities, while visitors continue to be drawn by long-time favorites like the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Mission Trail, sun-drenched recreation at Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks state parks, and the city’s famed rendition of the dish of Mexican cuisine, “chile relleno,” or stuffed chile pepper.

“Downtown El Paso has undergone a drastic change,” says Brooke Underwood, director of convention development for the El Paso CVB. “A couple years ago, after 5 p.m. it would have turned into a ghost town, but now it really comes alive.” Some of the projects contributing to that makeover include the El Paso Museum of History, downtown public library, the historic restoration of a few 1930s and ’40s office buildings, the renovation of the 1930 Plaza Theatre and the new Doubletree Hotel. That hotel provides 200 guest rooms and seven meeting rooms off Interstate 10.

The El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center complex

Also downtown is the Judson F. Williams Convention Center. The 133,000-sq.-ft. facility includes 80,000 square feet of exhibit space, 17 breakout rooms, three halls and an additional 15,000 square feet of meeting space. Last year, a striking new outdoor shade canopy was constructed, which can be booked for outdoor receptions of a few hundred people. Directly behind the convention center is the popular Union Plaza Entertainment District. Formerly an industrial warehouse park, the area has been reshaped as a hip dining and nightlife district, including notable restaurant, The Garden.

Despite its thriving business climate, spicy culture and year-round sunny weather, El Paso remains surprisingly affordable. “To combat the travel expenses of a delegate coming into El Paso, we can close that gap with much more affordable meeting accommodations,” Underwood says. “As far as parking, meals, lodging, accommodations and the actual meeting, it won’t break the bank.”

The other perception she wishes were commonplace regards safety. “Despite what people are hearing in the national media, El Paso is the safest city in America with a population of more than 500,000,” Underwood says. “The things that are happening on the other side of the border are not spilling over. If people want that international experience, they can still experience it by coming to El Paso. All that flavor, culture and cuisine is now on this side of the border.”

Elsewhere in Texas

Who doesn’t love free? The Lewisville Convention Center, which opened in 2007, offers free high-speed and wireless Internet access in its meeting rooms. The 17,000-sq.-ft. facility is just 10 minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

College Station is home to one of the 30 top attractions in the state—the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Located on a 90-acre site west of Texas A&M University, the library completed an $8.3 million renovation in 2007.

Frisco has adopted the slogan “A Texas Size Playground!” It’s easy to see why at Dr Pepper Ballpark, where attendees can meet on the field, enjoy a dine-around at the concession stands and party decks, and watch a baseball game from their hotel balconies.

The Buddy Holly Center, located in the Depot District in Lubbock, is home to the most extensive collection on the life and music of Buddy Holly, who was born and raised in Lubbock. The historic building provides can host receptions, business meetings and other off-site events.

“We’ve elevated ourselves,” says David DuBois, CMP, president and CEO of the Fort Worth CVB. He’s referring to the completion of the 1,000-room hotel package near the city’s convention center, which includes a 614-room Omni and 431 renovated rooms at Sheraton hotels.

Looking for a special off-site venue? You can find one in Odessa in the 410-seat Globe Theatre of the Great Southwest, an authentic replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre from London. The venue is located on the Odessa College campus.

_____

Special Places

Learn more about these Texas attractions by clicking on the photos below.

Far West Texas national parks

The Texas Independence Trail

San Antonio's Pearl Brewery Complex